_____________________________________
TRAINING
HANDBOOK
____________________________________
QUALIFYING COURSE
&
MSc IN GROUP ANALYSIS
2010
Institute of Group Analysis, London
1 Daleham Gardens, London, NW3 5BY
Tel: 020 7431 2693, Fax: 020 7431 7246
Department of Psychosocial Studies
Birkbeck College
Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX
Tel: 020 7631 6367
Email: sam@igalondon.org.uk
Email: psychosocial-studies@bbk.ac.uk
© Institute of Group Analysis (London)
Institute of Group Analysis/Birkbeck College
Training Handbook
Qualifying Course/MSc 2010
1: TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION
PAGE
2 Preface
3
3 Introduction
4
4 An Outline of the Training
5
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
5
Admission
Personal group analysis
Supervised practice
Academic programme
Training in Year Four
Other course activities
Qualification
Training calendar
6
8
5 Resources and Requirements of the Institute and the College
9
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
9
10
11
Administration
Libraries
Group-Analytic Society
Publications
Fees
Professional indemnity
Professional and Career Development Loans
12
6 A Guide To The Training
13
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
13
Training Office
Tutors
Student representation/Feedback/Regulation
Structure of the MSc
Clinical paper
Qualification
Graduation and admission to the Institute
14
24
25
7 Personal Group Analysis
27
7.1 Group analysis as a personal therapy
7.2 Group analysis as a course requirement
7.3 Rationale
27
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1: TABLE OF CONTENTS
(CONTINUED)
SECTION
PAGE
8 The Supervision of Clinical Practice
28
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
8.7
28
Student status in clinical practice
Recording and holding of clinical data
First training group
Second training group
Individual psychotherapy supervision
Insurance, clinical and medical cover
Feedback and evaluation
29
30
9 Other Course Activities
31
9.1 Large Groups
9.2 Business Meetings
9.3 Workshops
31
10 Appendices
32
Appendix A:
A.1 Student body
A.2 Supervisors
A.3 Year Group Co-ordinators
A.4 Committees
32
Appendix B: Code of Ethics and Practice
34
Appendix C: List of recommended book purchases
39
Appendix D: Criteria and Procedure for Ending Supervision of First
Group.
41
Appendix E: Some advice and cautions on setting up the Second Training
Group
42
Appendix F: Approaches to Academic Writing
44
Appendix G: Title page for essay submission; Essay Assessment – mark
sheets, Year 1 & 2
46
Appendix H: Clinical Paper Guidelines and Checklist
49
Appendix I: IGA Student Representative Job Description
50
Appendix J: Tutor Job Description
51
Appendix K: Sample feedback forms for students, seminar leaders and
Supervisors
52
Appendix L: Mitigating Circumstances: Birkbeck Policy
56
33
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2: PREFACE
This Handbook has been prepared for students of the Institute's Qualifying Course, run
jointly as an MSc in Group Analysis with the Department of Psychosocial Studies,
Birkbeck College, University of London. It is also offered as a resource to staff who
have a training responsibility for these students and to those who have played a part in
compiling the Handbook. All enquiries about the Handbook should be directed to the
Training Administrator.
The training is under continuous review and changes may be introduced during the
period of a student's training. There might also be modifications in the Course Outlines
of the Academic Programme [see curriculum Handbooks for Years One, Two and
Three] by the time courses are delivered in the years ahead. Should there be any
change, revisions to this document will be issued on a page-by-page basis and will be
made available to current students and teaching staff.
Replacement copies of the Handbook and its contents will be available on request, at a
charge.
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Institute of Group Analysis/Birkbeck College
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3: INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the IGA Qualifying Course, 2010, which is offered as an MSc in Group Analysis, with
Birkbeck College, University of London. This course began in 1971, when the Institute of Group
Analysis was founded to provide a clinical training. Every year since then a new Qualifying Course has
taken on a cohort of students and, as the Institute grows, the training itself undergoes development.
Since 1999 the training has been linked with an MSc in Group Analysis in the Department of
Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck.
This Handbook offers a guide to the course and to the resources and requirements of the Institute and
Birkbeck. It describes key elements of the training: personal group analysis, supervised practice, the
academic programme, and additional course activities including large groups and workshops.
Appendices include the Institute's Code of Ethical Practice, the Code of Practice for Training
Organisations, Trainees and Disciplinary Processes. There are also appendices of membership lists of
the student body, training staff, Council and committees, as well as specific advice on ending the first
and setting up the second Training Group. Advice on academic writing and other matters can also be
found in the appendices.
Your comments, criticisms and observations can make a difference to the experience of students in the
years to come and we welcome your participation in the further development of the training. We hope
it will not be too long before you come to play your part in shaping the experience of those who will
come after you. For the present, the forum open to the student body as a whole is the Large Group
which meets 6 times a year and the twice-yearly Course Appraisal meetings, which staff also attend;
and student representatives for each year group who attend the Core Teaching Group at certain times on
your behalf and are invited to the IGA Annual General Meeting.
We hope you enjoy your training.
Nicky von Fraunhofer
London Course Convenor, IGA
Stephen Frosh
Programme Director, Birkbeck
Chris Scanlon,
Programme Tutor, Birkbeck (2010/11)
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4: AN OUTLINE OF THE TRAINING
4.1: Admission Requirements
A. Academic requirements: Medical and non-medical candidates with a University degree or
equivalent professional qualification and experience in the field may apply. Applicants without a prior
degree who wish to apply for the MSc will be asked to submit an essay to the Birkbeck Programme
Director as part of the admission procedure.
B. Prior training: Applicants are required to have completed one of the Introductory Courses in Group
Analysis approved by the Institute prior to the training.
C. Prior psychotherapy: Candidates will have been in twice weekly group-analytic psychotherapy
with a Training Group Analyst for a minimum of one year prior the start of the training and six months
prior to application.
D. Psychiatric experience: The London Courses Committee must be satisfied that students have
adequate experience of work with psychiatric patients prior to commencement of the formal part of the
training. Those who still require such experience will be advised by the Course Convenor who may be
able to help find suitable placements in general psychiatric settings.
E. Admission procedure: The Course Convenor is available to consult with prospective applicants.
Once a written application has been received, the selection process consists of a clinical interview with
a Consultant Psychiatrist Member of the Institute, followed by a further interview with a Board of
Assessors to whom the Consultant's report is submitted. Applicants for the MSc also have their
applications assessed for academic qualifications by the Birkbeck Programme Director. There is an
Admissions Committee that receives all the reports and arrives at a decision.
4.2: Personal Group Analysis
Qualifying course students undertake a twice-weekly personal group analysis with a Training Group
Analyst throughout their training. They are required to have spent at least one year in this group prior to
the commencement of formal training, but this period is usually longer. The length of group analysis is
not fixed and continues until the student has their final Clinical Paper accepted.
4.3: Supervised Practice
A. Groups: Students are required to conduct two groups under supervision. The first, set up early in
the training and continuing for a minimum of six full terms, is a once-weekly clinical group for adults.
Students may be requested to conduct their training group for a longer period and it is essential that the
remit is discussed fully with the supervisor when setting up the group. The second, conducted in the
final training year, is of shorter duration and can accommodate students' own special areas of interest.
Arrangements for these groups may be made at students' own place of work or elsewhere, and must be
approved by the Institute. If there are difficulties in establishing groups, the Course Convenor is
available to assist. For the first group, students attend a weekly supervision seminar during the
academic term throughout the training period and continue for as long as required by London Courses
Committee. For the second group, students attend a weekly supervision group during the academic
term of the concluding year, which is supervised by a second supervisor. [See 8.3 and 8.4 below]
B. Individual psychotherapy supervision: Students will need to show competence in therapeutic work
with individuals. Those with insufficient individual experience will be required to take on patients for
psychotherapy and attend a weekly supervision seminar for the first two years of training.
[See 8.5 below]
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4.4: Academic Programme
The academic curriculum, beginning in September, takes place over 9 terms each of some 12 weeks.
Group Analysis is a well-established discipline with a number of applications. Its theory, development
and applications are systematically examined in a modular programme of two seminars each week that
also includes material from psychoanalysis, sociology, developmental and social psychology. [See
Curriculum Handbooks, Years One, Two and Three]
4.4.1: Recording Academic Seminars
It is known that a number of students on the course each year suffer from dyslexia and it is recognised
that this causes difficulty with taking notes whilst listening to the seminar material. Under the
Disability Discrimination Act it is a requirement on course organisers that they enable reasonable
adjustments, in order to facilitate student’s access to seminars for study. In line with the usual
procedure at Birkbeck University, it has therefore been agreed between the IGA and Birkbeck that
students have permission to record academic seminars to support private study. As a courtesy to the
other participants in the seminar group, the student should inform the group that they need to record the
sessions at the beginning of the seminar series.
4.5: Training in Year Four
On completion of the seminar part of the training, the students continue to have formal student status
during the fourth year and are invited to: attend the Inauguration; attend the Large Group; and attend the
Core Teaching Group, for which the year reps will receive all the relevant material.
The 4th year students may themselves arrange monthly meetings for their year group. These take place
at the IGA on Monday nights from 8:15pm – 9:45pm and need to be booked with the office. These
monthly meetings provide opportunity to meet the other year groups, to support each other in regard to
outstanding course requirements and to start to discuss the Clinical Paper. Once a term a meeting with
the Course Convenor is held on Mondays, 8:15pm – 9:45pm to discuss any pertinent issues as well as
the process of the year group. A one-off meeting with a representative of the Panel of Readers to
discuss the Clinical Paper, can also be arranged. This usually takes place on Monday evening from
8:15pm – 9:45pm at the IGA, and the students will have to negotiate date and room booking
themselves. Please request details for this from the course convenor.
On completion of all training requirements, students are individually invited to submit their Clinical
Paper. The clinical tutor continues to be available for support during this time. 4th Year students may
also request a one-off meeting with the course convenor to discuss any concerns in detail.
All 4th year activities are paid for with an annual fee currently of £70, paid to the IGA. This fee does
not include any supervisory fee that the students might be liable to pay to complete their course
requirements. In addition all MSc students can obtain a Library Card at Birkbeck College to gain access
to the Birkbeck library. The fee for alumni to join the Library is £70 for limited borrowing and £35 for
reference only. Unfortunately this does not include access to the electronic journals, as these are
restricted by the publishers to current students and staff only. To join as alumni, students need to get a
form from the alumni office on the ground floor of the Malet Street building or via
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/about/userinfo/alumni
4.6: Other Course Activities
There are six large (experiential) groups and two course appraisal meetings each year, which are both an
integral part of the course and cater for the students of all four years. The large groups are currently
convened by Gerhard Wilke. The Course Appraisal meetings are scheduled for December and July in
each academic year and the student representatives for each year group convene these together.
4.7: Qualification
A. Assessed Written Work: Students are required to present essays of 4,000 words length for
assessment at the end of year 1 and year 2. MSc students write a dissertation of 12,000 words (and non-
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MSc students submit a theory paper of 5,000 words) at the end of the third year. Details of these
requirements can be found in section 6.4 of this Handbook.
B. Completion of training: Students must present a Clinical paper at the end of their training. An
approved theme in group-analytic psychotherapy, based on clinical material recorded during the training
period, is presented in a paper of approximately 8,000 - 10,000 words within 12 months of completing
course requirements [See 6.5 below]. Qualification is at the discretion of the Council of the Institute,
which considers the recommendations of the Panel of Readers. The training is under continuous review
and may be changed. The Institute reserves the right to terminate a student's training at any time.
C. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all elements of the training - personal therapy,
supervised practice, seminars and other activities outlined in the Handbook. When students are unable
to attend through illness, bereavement, etc. they should inform the Training Administrator. When
possible they should inform their relevant group of any weekly absence. Taking time off during term
time is to be avoided. Records of attendance are kept. In the event of serious illness or other reason by
which a substantial amount of the term is missed, the course convenor will be informed and the matter
considered at the London Courses Committee. Individual circumstances will be taken into account,
however the usual practice is for the student to be asked to attend the missed seminars at a later date in
their training.
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4.8 TRAINING CALENDAR
Theory seminars: Years 1 - 3
Mondays
Thursdays
8:15pm – 9:45pm (A) (Daleham Gardens)
3:45pm – 5:00pm (B) (Birkbeck College)
Supervision of groups
A: First group: Years 1 - 3
Thursdays for 1½ hrs between
2:00pm - 3:30pm (Birkbeck College)
B: Second group: Year 3
Thursdays for 1½ hrs between
12:15pm –1:45pm or 6:00pm – 7:30pm
(Birkbeck College)
Supervision of individual psychotherapy (where necessary) Years 1- 2
Thursdays for 1½ hrs between
12:15pm – 1:45pm or 6:00pm – 7:30pm
(Birkbeck College)
Supervision sessions
All supervision groups meet for 36 sessions per year spread over three terms. This may or may not
coincide with the beginning or end of the academic timetables.
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5: RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE INSTITUTE
AND THE COLLEGE
5.1: Administration
5.1.1: The Institute
The Director of Operations, Sue Stevenson (who has overall responsibility for administration) is
available in the office Mondays – Fridays, 9:30am – 5:00pm. She is available for any general queries
relating to the Institute e.g. membership, courses, workshops and room-hire. The Training
Administrator, Samantha Evans, is responsible for the administration of the Qualifying Course and can
be contacted on 020 7431 2693, Mondays – Fridays, 10:00am – 4:00pm. When the Training
Administrator is not available the Director of Operations will assist you with any enquiries. The
Finance Officer is responsible for collection of fees.
5.1.2: Birkbeck College
Birkbeck College was founded in 1823 as the London Mechanic’s Institution, and was incorporated into
the University of London by Royal Charter in 1920. The College is ranked among the leading UK
University institutions for its levels of national and international excellence in research in the
Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. From this base of research excellence Birkbeck
provides a unique range of degree and other courses designed specially to meet the needs of mature
students studying part time at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The normal entrance requirement fixed by the University of London is a second class honours in an
appropriate subject from a UK university. Many overseas degrees are accepted as equivalent to this
standard. Work and later training experience and skills may also be taken into consideration.
The MSc in Group Analysis is placed within the Department of Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck.
The Department of Psychosocial Studies
Birkbeck is at the forefront of developments in Psychosocial Studies and contains staff who are
internationally recognised figures in this important new area of work. Birkbeck Psychosocial Studies
was established in 2000 to bring together psychologists, psychotherapeutic practitioners and social and
cultural theorists who have since then developed a distinctive approach to social and psychological
research and teaching, characterised by a focus on the interweaving of psychological and social
concerns and linking strongly with psychoanalytic theory, social theory and critical qualitative
methodologies. As its work has developed, the group has articulated a distinctive vision of the
psychosocial that contests many aspects of contemporary psychological and sociological theory. The
group has also established strong links with a number of leading psychotherapy institutes, and has
continued to work at the interface of theory and practice. The Department is part of the School of Social
Science, History and Philosophy, opening up new opportunities for interdisciplinary research and
teaching.
Academic Focus
Psychosocial Studies takes issue with conventional distinctions between the ‘psychological’ and the
‘social’ and rejects the idea that ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ worlds are empirically or theoretically separable. Its
object of study is the human subject and the wider social formation, and the affect-laden relations and
processes through which each are mutually constituted. It is concerned with the inter-relation between
individual subjectivities and individual and group identities, and historical and contemporary social and
political formations.
In practice, this means research and programmes of study that embrace discursive and critical
psychology; psychoanalytic theory; psychodynamic and systemic psychotherapy; social theory;
sociology; feminist theory and philosophy; gender, sexuality and queer studies; 'race' studies and
postcolonial theory. Methodologically, the commitment is to empirical work in the qualitative traditions
that have emerged in the wake of poststructuralism, and to the major importance of innovative
theoretical work. Members of the School are highly research active, making particular contributions in
the following areas:
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









Social & Personal Identities & Relationships
Gender & Sexuality
Feminist & Queer Theory
Psychoanalytic & Social Theory
'Race' and Postcolonial Studies
Psychotherapeutic Studies
Psychological & Political Engagements
Religion and the Sacred
Applied Social Psychology
Qualitative Research
Current academic staff members of the Department of Psychosocial Studies are Professor Stephen Frosh
(Head of Department), Professor Sasha Roseneil, Professor Lynne Segal, Dr Lisa Baraitser, Ms
Vivianne Green, Dr Amber Jacobs, Professor Gordon Lynch, Dr Yasmeen Narayan, Dr Margarita
Palacios, Dr Silvia Posocco, Dr Bruna Seu, Dr Laurence Spurling and Mr Paul Terry. Ms Jan Fish and
Mr Jonathan D. Smith are Associate Lecturers in Counselling. The Department participates in the
Birkbeck Institute for Social Research and has links with the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.
There are a substantial number of PhD students attached to the School and all members of staff
contribute to their supervision.
The Administrator for the MSc within the Department is currently Zoe Boden (z.boden@sps.bbk.ac.uk).
The School’s website is at www.bbk.ac.uk/sps.
Birkbeck Computing Services
Birkbeck College runs computing courses through its IT Services.
See www.bbk.ac.uk/its/help/training/workshops and Centre for Learning and Professional Development
www.clpd.bbk.ac.uk/students/it. Information concerning the MSc will be found on the BLE accessed
through the SPS website.
Birkbeck Disability Office
Birkbeck College also offers MSc students with disabilities special support, please contact Mark Pimm,
the Disability Coordinator at m.pimm@bbk.ac.uk or 020 7631 6315 to discuss any special needs.
5.2: Libraries
5.2.1: The Institute
The Library at Daleham Gardens is funded jointly by the IGA and the Group Analytic Society and is
available to all IGA members and staff, Qualifying Course students and to members of GAS. Although
the emphasis is on group analysis and group psychotherapy, the collection of books, journals and
reprints cover the whole spectrum of psychology, psychotherapy and related areas.
Most books can be borrowed for up to three months but frequently used Qualifying Course books are
available on a one month loan only during the period of the module. All items are subject to return if
requested by another user. Issues of Group Analysis, only, can also be borrowed for a period of one
month. Other journals can be consulted in the Library, or copies of articles can be requested, subject to
copyright law.
The Library also keeps a set of Dissertations, Theory Papers and Clinical Papers by previous students.
Dissertations and Theory Papers can be borrowed, but students should note that Clinical Papers are only
available for loan subject to approval by the author, which will be sought by the Librarian.
The Library database, covering all library holdings, including books, theory papers and dissertations,
clinical papers, reading list papers, other papers and audio tapes, can be consulted online. The link to
the database, and guidance on its usage, can be found in the Student area of the IGA website. IGA
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journal holdings will be added to the database, but for the time being a list of journals, along with
journals held by the Society of Analytical Psychology Library and the Tavistock Library, can be
consulted in the IGA Library.
The Library has access to the facilities of the Tavistock Library, but only through the IGA/GAS
Librarian. Our membership enables us to carry out literature searches and to supply copies of journal
articles and book chapters, subject to a charge for photocopying (currently 10p per A4 sheet). The
Library also offers inter-library loan facilities via the British Library Document Supply Centre
(BLDSC) but this service can be very expensive.
The Librarian, Elizabeth Nokes, is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:45am to 5:15pm. It
is always advisable, however, to make an appointment if you need to discuss specific requirements.
5.2.2: Birkbeck College Library (MSc Students only)
The Birkbeck College Library contains some 250,000 books (excluding journals, pamphlets, theses etc.)
and about 850 current journal subscriptions. The library is open 7 days a week in term-time and closes
at 10:30pm on weekday nights; it is open 24 hours at weekends over the examination period. In the
vacation the library stays open until 8:00pm. Most books are available for loan; journals are for
reference only.
The library provides a modern study environment with access to PCs for searching and use of MS
Office software; remote access to the catalogue if you have a PC with modem at home, so you can
check what is in stock, or which books you have borrowed, and renew or reserve your books; Library
Web pages, which tell you all you need to know about the library, and provide a gateway to a large
array of electronic journals and databases you can search from home or work.
Wendy Lynwood, Psychosocial Studies subject librarian is able, on request, to offer group sessions on
how to use electronic resources.
She can be contacted directly on 020 7631 6062,
w.lynwood@bbk.ac.uk.
5.3: Group-Analytic Society
Students of the Qualifying Course can apply for student membership. Graduate members of the
Institute are entitled to full membership of the Society, and must apply for this personally after
qualification. Information about the Group-Analytic Society can be obtained from the GAS Office: Ms
Julia Posturas-Forrest, Administrator, 102 Belsize Lane, London NW3, 020 7435 6611.
5.4: Publications
Group Analysis: The Journal of Group-Analytic Psychotherapy, edited by Tom Ormay, is
published quarterly by the Group-Analytic Society. Dialogue, the newsletter of the Institute of Group
Analysis, edited by Frances Griffiths and Deirdre Price, is available to student members of the Institute.
Editors of these publications will be pleased to receive contributions from students.
5.5: Fees
Course fees cover theory seminar and supervision of the first and second training groups. The
supervision of the first training group is covered by the fees until and including the third term of the
third year of the training; supervision of the second training group is covered for three terms altogether.
Fees for supervision beyond those times, when necessary, will be separate. The fees for supervision of
individual patients, where necessary, are also separate. Invoices for supervisory fees that are due will
be sent out by the IGA Finance Officer at the beginning of each term. If fees are not paid by the end of
each term, a surcharge will have to be levied. If there are exceptional circumstances, these have to be
put in writing and addressed to Sue Stevenson, who in turn will inform the appropriate committees. A
fee increase is made annually, usually in line with inflation, and students will be advised at least six
months in advance. MSc students pay an additional fee to cover registration and use of resources at
Birkbeck. There may be other fees, like costs of books, weekend workshops, etc, which are not
included in the overall course fees
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Birkbeck College offers information on funding for both UG and PG students. This information can be
found on the Student Financial Support Office Students (the Registry) web site.
www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/studentfinance. Students are asked to telephone the
office and make an appointment as they may be able to assist.
5.6: Professional Indemnity
Students are required to take out professional indemnity insurance unless already adequately covered.
[See 8.6 below] The Institute's recommended Malpractice Insurers are Devitt and arrangements are
normally made through Mr Sandy Murray, PPS, Standalane House, Kincardine, Clacks, Scotland, FX10
4NX, Tel: 01259 730 785.
5.7: Professional and Career Development Loans
Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans that can be used to help pay for work
related learning. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years
of learning (or three years if it includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work). The Young People’s
Learning Agency will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards.
The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. You can also
use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries. Because the Professional
and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should only be considered as an
option once all other student funding options have been investigated. For further information on
financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact
Careers Advice on 0800 100 900. Our learning provider registration number is: 1847.
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6: A GUIDE TO THE TRAINING
6.1: Training Office
The Course Convenor, Nicky von Fraunhofer, is responsible to London Course Committee for the
organisation of the training and for liaison between students, training staff and committees. She is
available for consultation and advice and will assist if problems arise that cannot be resolved in
supervision or in other contexts including therapy. Appointments to see her should be made through the
Training Administrator. In the third term of the second year of training, each student has the
opportunity to discuss his or her progress with the course convenor in a Midcourse Assessment.
The Training Administrator co-ordinates all administrative aspects of the Qualifying Course. All
administrative enquiries re: timetabling, tutors, supervision groups, student meetings, etc., should be
addressed to the Samantha Evans, Training Administrator who can be contacted on 020 7431 2693, or
by email, sam@igalondon.org.uk
Professor Stephen Frosh is responsible for the MSc at Birkbeck College. For 2010-11, Chris Scanlon
will be taking on most of this role. Contact person for information and help is Zoe Boden, 020 7631
6367, z.boden@sps.bbk.ac.uk.
6.2: Tutors
6.2.1: Personal Tutor
All students are assigned a tutor in the autumn term of their first year. The role of the tutor is
differentiated from the rest of the qualifying course in being independent of the assessment process.
Student progress is not reported on by tutors unless serious problems arise where both student and tutor
agree that it would be in the best interests of the student for these problems to be brought to the attention
of the Course Convenor or London Courses Committee. Tutors initiate the first contact with the student
and thereafter meetings are by mutual arrangement with a minimum frequency of twice a year.
Attempts are made to place students with tutors in their area, but in the event of any difficulty the Tutor
Co-ordinator should be approached. Tutors make their contributions on a voluntary basis. The role of
the tutor is twofold: one is a pastoral role and the other for supervising written work. [See Appendix J:
Tutor Job Description below]
6.2.2: Year Group Coordinator
Each year group has a year group co-ordinator who meets termly with the year group to ensure that
students are clear about what is expected of them in relation to the written work and to offer guidance
on academic writing.
6.3: Student Representation, Feedback and Regulation
6.3.1: Student Representation
Each year-group is invited to elect a representative to act as a link between the student group and the
Institute and its structures. The student representatives attend the termly meetings of the Core Teaching
Group, which includes dialogue between students and teaching staff and enables students to contribute
to innovations and developments. The student representatives also attend the AGM of the Institute, but
are not allowed to vote. Some year groups elect two students to ensure they are always represented. A
job description for the student representative can be found in Appendix I.
6.3.2: Student Feedback
Students are invited to give regular feedback to the course regarding their experience of the seminars
and supervised groups. Feedback forms are completed at the end of each module of seminars. These
forms are compiled by the course convenor and considered at the Core Teaching Group. At this
meeting, the content and process of the seminars is kept under review. An example of the student
feedback form is at Appendix K. Seminar Leaders also feedback in a similar manner, an example of the
feedback form is also at Appendix K. Feedback regarding the Supervised Practice may be written on
the student progress report form which is sent to the London Courses Committee, as part of the ongoing
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assessment of the student’s progress. This form may be found at Appendix K. Student feedback is also
invited in a more informal way at the Course Appraisal meeting (see 9.2).
6.3.3: Student Complaints
Both the IGA and Birkbeck College have formal complaints procedures. The website for complaints at
Birkbeck College may be found at www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/regs. The complaints procedure for the IGA will
be provided on request.
6.3.4: Student Disciplinary Code
Birkbeck College has regulations regarding the procedures and codes of practice including the code of
student discipline. These may be accessed at www.bbk.ac.uk.reg/regs. As trainees on the IGA
Qualifying Course, the students are expected to comply with the codes of ethics and practice of the
Institute of Group Analysis. These are set out in Appendix B.
6.4: Structure of the MSc in Group Analysis
The MSc has a modular structure but cannot be broken into component parts due to the continuous
nature of the clinical part of the training. Each academic component is categorised as at Level 7,
(Masters level) and has a certain number of ‘credits’ attached to it, with the MSc comprising 180 credits
in total.
The structure of the programme is as follows:
Year
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
Module
Foundation seminars in group analytic
and psychoanalytic theory
Personal group psychotherapy
Aspects of Human and Relational
development and Advanced Clinical
Applications (1)
Supervised psychotherapy practice
Personal group psychotherapy
Aspects of Human and Relational
development and Advanced Clinical
Applications (2)
Supervised psychotherapy practice
Personal group psychotherapy
Number of credits
30
Assessment
4000 word essay*
n/a
30
Course requirement
4000 word essay*
30
n/a
60
Supervisors’ reports
Course requirement
10-12000 word dissertation*
30
n/a
Supervisors’ reports
Course requirement
Notes:
 Those modules shown with * will be marked on the postgraduate numerical scale (Pass 50, Merit 60,
Distinction 70) and the weighted total mark (according to credit value) used in the calculation of the final
degree. This means that the dissertation counts for as much as two essays combined. The supervised
psychotherapy group modules are course requirements and must be passed, as assessed, but
recommendation from a student’s group analyst may be taken into account in considering a student’s
progress on the course.
 The supervised psychotherapy practice spans more than two years in total but is assessed at the end of
each year, so it is counted as two single modules.
 The personal psychotherapy group spans the entire training and is a course requirement but is not
assessed, so no credits are awarded for this.
 Passing all modules for each year is a requirement for entry into the next year of study.
 The final year’s academic work is assessed through the dissertation.
 The dissertation must receive at least a pass mark for the award of the MSc degree. The final grade
awarded for the MSc (Distinction, Merit, Pass) is calculated on the basis of the marks received for the
essays and the dissertation.
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6.4.1: Further Details of Assessed Work
Assessed work is as follows. All elements except the ‘non assessed essay’ must be passed. Additional
course work may be set at other times where appropriate.
1. Foundation Seminars in Group Analytic and Psychoanalytic Theory
a) Students are required to submit a ‘non-assessed essay’ of 2,000 words in length by the end of January
of the first year (submission date 21.1.11). This essay is not formally part of the MSc assessment, but it
will be marked and feedback given to students as part of preparation for the task of writing the end-ofyear essay. The topic for the January essay will be given out at the end of the ‘Mind, Self and Society’
module.
b) One 4,000 words essay submitted in the first year (submission date 26.5.11; title given in the Spring
term).
2. Aspects of Human and Relational Development and Advanced Clinical Applications (1)
One 4,000-word essay submitted in the second year (submission date 26.5.11; title given in the Spring
term).
3. Aspects of Human and Relational Development and Advanced Clinical Applications (2)
In the third year, either
a) A dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words (MSc students only, submission date for year 3 students in
2010-11 is 21.7.11.
or
b) A theory paper of 5000 words (non-MSc students only, submission date 21.07.11
4. Supervised Group Analytic Work
Clinical competence in carrying out group analytic work is assessed through the Institute of Group
Analysis’ London Courses Committee (LCC). This receives annual reports from supervisors of
students’ training group, and where appropriate from supervisors of students’ individual psychotherapy
cases. These reports are considered and recommendations are sent to the Examination Board.
Recommendations from LCC record the nature of the information available to the LCC and the LCC’s
decision (e.g. to approve a student’s work; to require more supervised practice, to require a student to
discontinue training). For the MSc, the approval of a student's clinical work by the LCC at the end of
the third year is the requirement for passing the clinical module. For the IGA's London Qualifying
Course, completion of work with individuals and both training groups is a further requirement.
A student whose clinical work is not approved by the LCC and subsequently by the Exam Board as
being of the necessary standard for the year of training will be deemed to have failed the ‘Supervised
psychotherapy practice’ module. One further attempt at the module, which in practice means a repeat of
the year’s clinical work, is allowed.
6.4.2: Procedure for Assessment of Essays (MSc)
The essays must be typed with double line spacing throughout on A4 size paper. There should be a
margin of 1.5 inches on the left hand side of each page. Pages should be numbered consecutively. The
essays must be written in a way that preserves the anonymity of the author. The number of words in the
essay should be reported on the cover page. The essay title page will be allocated a number by the
Birkbeck office on receipt of the essay. The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the essay.
Confidentiality of any clinical material must also be observed. (Essay title page and essay marking
sheets can be found in Appendix G).
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Essays must be submitted electronically to psychosocial-studies@bbk.ac.uk. The dissertation should be
submitted in hard copy (four copies) to the Birkbeck Psychosocial Studies office in typed form by the
due date. They will be marked and moderated according to the scheme laid out below. Each essay and
the dissertation will be marked independently by a member of the Birkbeck College academic staff, and
a member of the IGA teaching staff, with a final mark agreed between the two markers. Marks are
subject to moderation by the External Examiner and will be confirmed at the Board of Examiners. The
Exam Board meets physically in November and ‘virtually’ in July to approve progression for first and
second-year students. The External Examiner is a professional in an academic position and preferably
also a Group Analyst. Students will be informed of their marks as soon as possible after the
Examination Board. Feedback on essays will be provided in written form.
Students whose essays have failed may approach their tutors for feedback and advice prior to
resubmission. Essays with a provisional mark of 'fail' may be resubmitted by Thursday 22nd September
2011. Only one resubmission of failed work is allowed at MSc level. The essays at the end of Year 1
and Year 2 must receive at least a pass mark if students are to be allowed to proceed to the next year of
the MSc programme.
In exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Examination Board, failure in an essay could
be carried or referred.
6.4.3: Assessment Criteria for Essays
The essay should demonstrate linking of theory to clinical practice. It should:





contain evidence of knowledge of the area outlined in the question - key issues and concepts and
where appropriate research or clinical evidence
be well planned with a coherent structure and argument backed up by evidence and answering all
aspects of the question set
present the ideas and arguments clearly and explain terms explicitly
demonstrate evidence of understanding the issues discussed rather than a list of facts or other
people’s explanations
demonstrate relevance for practice.
It is important to focus the writing on group analytic perspectives.
Essays will be marked in accordance with content, structure, clarity and quality of analysis. Case
material should be identified as such and indented. Source of quotations should be indicated. A list of
all references should be included at the end of the essay. The number of words in the essay should be
stated. Essays significantly over length will incur a penalty.
Assessment Grades
There are four grades: Distinction (70-100%), Merit (60-69%), Pass (50-59%) and Fail (0-49%).
Distinction - A very good essay in terms of the above four criteria, which clearly answers the question
in all its aspects, with some originality of thought. It should have a strong structure and argument and a
sense of ‘drive’ or mastery.
Merit - This is a good answer, with good structure/argument and content but not quite the
excellence/originality of a distinction. All aspects of the question have been addressed in a clear wellstructured essay, with adequate critical evaluation.
Pass - The essay fulfils the minimum of what is required. There may be issues with one aspect of the
criteria, but in general the question has been adequately answered.
Fail - An inadequate answer, where the criteria have not been met, and some aspects of the question
have either not been answered, or inaccurately presented.
In the case of mitigating circumstances, students are encouraged to officially inform the Chair of the
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Board of Examiners, Professor Stephen Frosh, because a borderline grade may be graded up in that
situation.
6.4.4: The Dissertation (MSc students only)
For third year students in 2010-11, the dissertation is due for submission by 21st July 2011 and should
reflect the contents of the academic programme in years 2 and 3. The dissertation may be empirical,
clinical, organisational or theoretical.
Selecting a Dissertation Topic
Initial discussions relating to the selection and design of topics for the MSc dissertations will take place
during terms 6 and 7 (years 2 and 3) and will eventuate in an initial dissertation proposal of 1500 words
submitted by the beginning of term 8 (see below). The selected topic for the dissertation should reflect
the subject matter of the course; i.e. it should focus on some aspect of group analytic theory or practice.
Within this general constraint, the topic can be drawn from a very broad field.
The libraries at Birkbeck College and the IGA are important resources for exploring the literature
available on possible topics of study. Computerised literature search facilities are available in the
Library at Birkbeck College.
Guidelines for the Dissertation Proposal
For academic year 2010-11, an electronic copy of the Dissertation Proposal (approximately 1,500
words) should be submitted to the Birkbeck office by Thursday 16th December 2010.
The aim of the proposal is to provide sufficient information to ensure that plans for the dissertation are
appropriate, properly developed and feasible, and to allow allocation for supervision.
The proposal should include the following components:
1. A brief description of the study, which the student plans to undertake.
2. A focused introduction, which locates the proposal in the context of relevant literature and sets out
the student’s reasons for choosing this topic.
3. An account of the proposed methodology (ie Theoretical, Clinical, Empirical, Organisational - see
table overleaf) for the study.
4. A timetable for undertaking the study and completing the dissertation.
Dissertation Guidelines
Students are required to prepare a dissertation in any one of four academic domains: – theoretical; a
clinical study in the practice of group analytic psychotherapy, based on the author’s own work;
empirical, of a non-clinical nature; or organisational. The assessment criteria for each of these four
domains will be somewhat different. Students are encouraged to discuss their proposals in some detail
with their allocated supervisor and to work as closely as they can to these guidelines. The requirements
vary between these four modalities and your supervisor will help you ensure that you meet them.
Students often write dissertations that work across these domains and they should discuss their plans in
some detail with their supervisor. The guidelines are used to generate assessment criteria and a copy of
the mark-sheet and its assessment criteria is included.
The dissertation should be given structures relating to the guidelines given below, which should include
the following, though depending on the study their order may vary.
1. Abstract
2. List of ten key words
3. Preface (Optional)
4. Introduction
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5. Literature Review
6. Main exposition
7. Methodology (not required for theoretical)
8. Clinical study/findings (not required for theoretical)
9. Discussion
10. Conclusion
11 References
12. Appendices
The dissertation should be between 10,000 and 12,000 words in length, not including the references,
figures and tables, or any appendices. Papers longer than this will be marked up to the required length
and not beyond. Papers that are submitted below the required length will be accepted, but submitting
shorter papers is harmful to the overall mark and is not advisable.
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Dissertation Guidelines
ABSTRACT AND
PREFACE
1A.
INTRODUCTION
1B.
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.
METHODOLOGY
AND CHOICE OF
MATERIAL
THEORETICAL
CLINICAL
EMPIRICAL
ORGANISATIONAL
The Abstract is an assessed
requirement providing a summary
of the dissertation in 300 words or
less. It should include a short list of
Ten key words to enable easy
tracing in a search. The Preface is a
non-assessed
option
allowing
students to open the dissertation by
giving a rationale for their choice of
study that can include personal
material.
It can provide a
foundation for students’ later
clinical paper submitted for
membership of the IGA.
A clear set of theoretical aims
supporting a subject, argument or
line of enquiry drawn from or
related to the theory and/or practice
of group analysis.
The Abstract is an assessed
requirement providing a summary of
the dissertation in 300 words or less.
It should include short list of key
words to enable easy tracing in a
search. The Preface is a non-assessed
option allowing students to open the
dissertation by giving a rationale for
their choice of study that can include
personal material. It can provide a
foundation for students’ later clinical
paper submitted for membership of
the IGA.
The Abstract is an assessed
requirement providing a summary
of the dissertation in 300 words or
less. It should include short list of
key words to enable easy tracing in
a search. The Preface is a nonassessed option allowing students to
open the dissertation by giving a
rationale for their choice of study
that can include personal material.
It can provide a foundation for
students’ later clinical paper
submitted for membership of the
IGA.
A clear statement of aims and
research hypotheses about a subject
drawn from or related to the
curriculum, in any application of
group analysis.
The Abstract is an assessed
requirement providing a summary
of the dissertation in 300 words or
less. It should include short list of
key words to enable easy tracing in
a search. The Preface is a nonassessed option allowing students to
open the dissertation by giving a
rationale for their choice of study
that can include personal material.
It can provide a foundation for
students’ later clinical paper
submitted for membership of the
IGA.
A clear statement of aims and
research hypotheses drawn from or
related to the curriculum, in any
organisational application of group
analysis.
Provides a comprehensive and
scholarly review of the literature
relevant to the project.
A well-formulated methodology or
line of enquiry to be explored in the
dissertation supported by its
findings and appropriate to the
research aims and theoretical
framework.
Provides a comprehensive and
scholarly review of the literature
relevant to the project.
A well-formulated methodology or
line of enquiry to be explored in the
dissertation supported by its
findings and appropriate to the
research aims and theoretical
framework.
Provides a comprehensive and
scholarly review of the literature
relevant to the project.
A coherent argument or line of
enquiry to be explored in the
dissertation and supported by its
findings.
A clear statement of aims for an
academic study in the practice of
group-analytic psychotherapy. It
should be based on the practitioner’s
own clinical work and be clearly
differentiated from the later clinical
paper for IGA membership.
Provides a comprehensive and
scholarly review of the literature
relevant to the project.
A coherent argument or line of
clinical enquiry to be explored in the
dissertation and supported by its
findings.
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Dissertation Guidelines, continued
3A.
THEORETICAL
ARGUMENT/
3B.
DISCUSSION
The standard of the presentation,
the quality of the arguments and the
extent to which the author
demonstrates independent thinking
in their chosen line of enquiry.
The use to which the argument or
line of enquiry is put; and the
quality of its formulation in
studying the theory and/or practice
of group analysis
The standard of the presentation,
analysis and discussion of clinical or
case material, and the extent to which
the author demonstrates independent
thinking in the study of their own
work.
The use to which the clinical or case
material is put in a line of enquiry or
analysis; and the quality its
formulation in studying the clinical
practice
of
group
analytic
psychotherapy.
The standard of the presentation,
analysis and discussion of empirical
material (qualitative/quantitative);
and the extent to which the author
demonstrates independent thinking
in an empirical study.
The use to which data/findings are
put in a critical argument or
analysis; and the quality its
formulation in an empirical study of
group analysis in any application.
The extent to which the author has
shown an awareness of ethical
issues (including confidentiality) in
the conduct of the study. Empirical
projects will require formal ethical
approval from the Birkbeck School
of Social sciences, History and
Philosophy.
Writing to a satisfactory standard
within the academic conventions of
the
psychotherapy
profession
including the clarity of the abstract,
use of footnotes, references,
bibliography and appendices where
appropriate.
4.
ETHICAL ISSUES
The extent to which the author has
shown an awareness of ethical
issues (including confidentiality) in
the conduct of the study.
The extent to which the author has
shown an awareness of ethical issues
(including confidentiality) in the
conduct of the study.
5.
ITERARY
QUALITY AND
OVERALL
IMPRESSION
Writing to a satisfactory standard
within the academic conventions of
the
psychotherapy
profession
including the clarity of the abstract,
use of footnotes, references,
bibliography and appendices where
appropriate.
Writing to a satisfactory standard
within the academic conventions of
the
psychotherapy
profession
including the clarity of the abstract,
use
of
footnotes,
references,
bibliography and appendices where
appropriate.
The standard of the presentation,
analysis
and
discussion
of
theoretical or empirical material;
and the extent to which the author
demonstrates independent thinking
in an organisational study.
The use to which data, clinical
material, or an argument or line of
enquiry are put in a critical
argument or analysis; and the
quality of its formulation in a study
of group analysis in any
organisational application.
The extent to which the author has
shown an awareness of ethical
issues (including confidentiality) in
the conduct of the study.
Writing to a satisfactory standard
within the academic conventions of
the
psychotherapy
profession
including the clarity of the abstract,
use of footnotes, references,
bibliography and appendices where
appropriate.
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Arrangements for submission and supervision of dissertation
Four typed copies of the Dissertation should be submitted to the Birkbeck Psychosocial Studies office
by Thursday 21st July 2011 and one electronic copy is to be sent to the IGA office.
In the period from January 2011 to the submission date students will have four supervision sessions
with their dissertation supervisors. Two of these meetings will take place in the Spring Term and the
other two will take place at suitable dates between April and July.
If students require supervision beyond the four sessions provided, this may be given at the discretion of
the supervisor. Usually, no more than four additional supervision sessions should be given.
The MSc Dissertation or Theory Paper is presented as work in progress to the student’s year group and
seminar-leader during the Spring Term, , on Thursday afternoons.
At the time of presentation the paper should be at an advanced stage and some 2-5,000 words in length.
Proposed titles and their order of presentation should be submitted to the Third Year Coordinator, John
Schlapobersky at the beginning of the spring term. Copies of the paper/dissertation should be made
available to the seminar leader and to members of the year group at least a fortnight before presentation.
Half of each seminar’s time will be available for the student’s presentation and the remaining half for
group discussion.
Students are advised to approach their personal tutors in addition to their dissertation supervisors for
support with the writing of the dissertation. Please note that dissertation tutors cannot comment on a
dissertation in its final form, before submission, as they will be involved in the marking process.
MSc Dissertations will be assessed by the Examinations Board; Theory Papers will be assessed by a
panel made up of the seminar-leader and one additional reader, plus the External Examiner. Reports for
both Dissertations and Theory Papers will be made to the London Courses Committee.
Once the paper is accepted a copy will be held in the library where they will be available for reference.
The student holds copyright for the paper and may apply to submit it at a Scientific Meeting of the
Group-Analytic Society and/or to the Journal, Group Analysis; or elsewhere.
Presentation Guidelines for the Dissertation
Dissertations must be typed or printed with double line spacing throughout on A4 size paper. There
should be a margin of 1.5 inches on the left hand side of each page. Pages should be numbered
consecutively, including all tables, figures, bibliography and appendices. Minimal binding standards
require binding of the dissertation with a plastic multi-ring spine with a cover of thin card. Facilities for
this are available in the School of Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck College during office hours.
Page 1 should show the title in capital letters, the candidate's name and the degree for which the
dissertation is submitted. For example:
GROUP PROCESSES IN ACADEMIC PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENTS
AN OTHER
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of MSc in Group Analysis, Birkbeck
College, University of London, in collaboration with Institute of Group Analysis.
An Abstract providing a summary of the dissertation in not more than 300 words should appear on page
two and a list of ten key words that would identify relevant material covered in the text on a literature
search.
All publications referred to in the dissertation should give the surname(s) of the author(s) followed by
the date of publication in brackets. All references should then be listed in alphabetical order in the
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bibliography at the end, giving full publication details. A consistent style of referencing should be
adopted (see below).
Resubmission of Dissertation
Normal time for re-submission of a failed dissertation or the submission of a deferred dissertation is
July of the following year. A dissertation in support of an MSc can only be submitted a maximum of
two times. After this a Postgraduate diploma will be awarded to recognise successful completion of the
taught component of the course.
6.4.5: Theory Paper (non-MSc students)
The guidelines and requirements for Theory Papers are as follows. The Theory Paper should include:






A theoretical subject drawn from or related to the curriculum
A review of relevant literature
A coherent account of the subject or an argument for a point of view
Illustrations drawn from clinical material or personal observation
Writing to a satisfactory standard within the conventions of the profession.
Evidence of the student’s own independent thinking.
The paper should be some 5,000 words in length and typed on one side of A4 paper. It should be
clearly structured and coherently written, introduced with a table of contents. Sources should be
properly quoted and a relevant bibliography provided. Students are encouraged to discuss their ideas
and their presentation with tutors and to begin preparing their work in January.
Papers will be assessed to determine whether students can:
 Assimilate material from the curriculum and apply it to an area of interest
 Make use of discussion in the seminar group and, if necessary, make improvements in the paper's
final draft on this basis
 Review relevant literature and provide a bibliography
 Make a coherent argument or support a line of enquiry
 Substantiate the account with clinical or other empirical material
 Write to a satisfactory standard within the conventions of the profession
 Demonstrate independent thinking
The Theory Paper is presented as work in progress to the student's year group and seminar-leader during
the 8th term on Thursday afternoons. At the time of presentation the Theory Paper should be at an
advanced stage and some 2,000 words in length. Proposed titles should be submitted to the London
Course Convenor during the 7th term. Copies of the paper should be made available to the seminar
leader and to members of the year group at least a fortnight before presentation. Half of each seminar's
time will be available for the student's presentation and the remaining half will be used for group
discussion.
Four copies of the paper should be submitted in final form by the 21st July 2011 to the IGA office.
Theory Papers will be assessed by an IGA panel comprised of the seminar-leader and one additional
reader, plus an Outside Examiner. Reports on papers will be made to the London Courses Committee.
Once the paper is accepted a copy of the Theory Paper will be held in the library where it will be
available for reference. The student holds copyright and may apply to submit their paper at a Scientific
Meeting of the Group-Analytic Society and/or to the Journal, Group Analysis; or elsewhere.
6.4.6: Guidelines for References
It is important to include the following details in your list of references, and it may save time if you get
into the habit of recording all these details as you do your reading rather than have to hunt them out at
the end.
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References in the body of the essay/dissertation
References in the body of the essay or dissertation (as distinct from the Reference section) can occur in
different contexts. Fundamentally, whenever reference is made to a published article or other source
(e.g. the Internet) details should be given in the text in the form of the name(s) of authors and the date of
publication. For example: ‘recent writing on hysteria (e.g. Mitchell, 2000) discusses…’ Or: ‘Mitchell
(2000) claims that…’ If a quotation is given, it should conclude with the name of author, date of
publication, and exact page number. For example:
In the larger group, therefore, in struggling with dialogue, we are not only responding to the
pressures of the reality principle and to the gratification of the pleasure principle. We are
involved at the same time in establishing a third principle as we learn to understand ourselves in
terms of community and not merely as organisms. (De Maré et al, 1991, p.20)
Note here that a quotation is often presented indented in the text. An alternative, when the quotation is
of one sentence or less is to simply put quotation marks around it. For instance: as De Maré et al (1991)
comment, ‘We are involved at the same time in establishing a third principle as we learn to understand
ourselves in terms of community and not merely as organisms.’
If a text has two authors, both should be given (e.g. Elliott and Frosh, 1995); if more than two authors
use the convention et al after the first author’s name: e.g. Pattman et al, 1998. All the authors should be
listed in the references at the end of the essay/dissertation.
References at the end of the essay/dissertation
At the end of the text, all references should be gathered together in a standard format, in alphabetical
order. There are basically three relevant ways of presenting a reference, depending on whether it is to a
book, a chapter in a book, or a journal article.
Books
Authored:
Name, initial. (date) Title Place of publication: Publisher
Frosh. S. (2002) After Words: The Personal in Gender, Culture and Psychotherapy London: Palgrave
Multi-authored:
Name1, initial, Name2, initial. and Name3, initial. (date) Title Place of publication: Publisher
Frosh, S., Phoenix, A. and Pattman, R. (2002) Young Masculinities: Understanding Boys in
Contemporary Society London: Palgrave
Edited
As with books, but with (eds) added after the authors.
Elliott, A. and Frosh, S. (eds) (1995) Psychoanalysis in Contexts London: Routledge
Chapter from a book
Name of author(s) of the chapter, Initial. (date) Title of chapter. In Initial. Name of editor(s), Title of
Book, Place of Publication:
Frosh, S. and Young, L. (2008) Psychoanalytic Approaches to Qualitative Psychology. In C. Willig and
W. Stainton-Rogers, The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology London: Sage
Journal articles
Name of author(s) of the article, Initial. (date) Title of article. Journal title in full, volume: start page
number – end page number
Frosh, S., Phoenix, A. and Pattman, R. (2005) Struggling towards Manhood: Narratives of Homophobia
and Fathering British Journal of Psychotherapy, 22, 37-56
All authors should be listed for jointly written books, chapters and articles.
Internet Resources
As with books or journals, but with the Internet address appended.
Fonagy, P. (1999) Pathological Attachments and Therapeutic Action. http://www. psychematters.com
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Remember: a reference list should be a complete list of all sources actually referred to in your
essay/dissertation. It is different from a bibliography, which lists sources drawn on but not necessarily
explicitly referred to.
6.4.7: Confidentiality
When citing clinical material of any kind, including all group material, students should ensure that there
is no possibility of a reader being able to identify the individuals, groups, organisations or settings
involved. This may require disguising material appropriately.
6.4.8: Plagiarism
You must ensure that all work you submit is entirely your own, unless you declare otherwise.
Remember that plagiarism will incur severe penalties, which may include exclusion from your degree
programme.
There are two situations in which plagiarism commonly occurs:
1. Fraud. This applies when a student submits the written work of another person (who might be a
fellow student), in whole or part, as his/her own. Such fraud may occur with or without the author’s
consent, but having obtained the author’s consent does not excuse the crime. Deception of this kind
devalues the coursework of the perpetrator and is grossly unfair to his/her peers.
2. Pirated Text. This refers to copying (sometimes word for word) from a publication. Pirated text is
not difficult to detect, for even if the marker does not know the source of the text (but if often he/she
will) the style of the plagiarised text betrays the fraud. The cohesiveness of argument, the structure
of the text and English usage, usually differ substantially from the usual output of the plagiariser.
6.4.9: Appeals and Complaints procedures
Both Birkbeck College and the Institute have formal appeals procedures in cases where students believe
themselves to have been unfairly treated. The Birkbeck appeals procedure is on
www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/central_pages/degree_appeals, and
its
complaints procedure
is
on
www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules. Any appeals in relation to assessed written work should be
made within two weeks after results are notified.
6.4.10: Extensions, Deferments and Mitigating Circumstances
It is a requirement of the course that all work is submitted by the due date. Extensions will not be
granted in advance. For work submitted after the due date but within the next month, students may
submit a letter of explanation with the late work and this will be considered by the Exam Board
members. If it is decided that the mitigating circumstances warrant the lateness the mark will be
awarded. If the Board decides that the mitigating circumstances are not applicable then (assuming the
essay reached a Pass standard) a capped mark of 50% will be awarded. More details of Birkbeck’s
mitigating circumstances policy is given in Appendix M.
Deferred assignments can only be submitted one year after the original submission date, with the
consequence that proceeding to the next year of the MSc will be delayed by a year. In accordance with
College regulations, applications for deferral must be made in writing at least 14 days in advance of the
submission date. The Course Committee has discretion to grant or refuse such an application and may
consult as necessary before doing so and may require the submission of documentary evidence in
support of the application. Students are advised that deferments are viewed as exceptional.
If a student wishes to defer the submission of their MSc and continue to use Birkbeck facilities, then a
fee of one fifth of the normal annual course fee is chargeable. For students who do not require use of
these facilities an exam entry fee and the time meeting with supervisors is chargeable. The same
procedures as outlined above (6.4.1 – 6.4.3) also apply to essays submitted from non-MSc students.
6.5: Qualifying Course Clinical Paper
All students are required to write a clinical paper based on their experience of running a group as the
concluding step in the training. In the two years following the completion (submission and passing) of
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the course requirements (i.e. 1. and 2. Training Group, Individual work and Dissertation or Theory
paper), a clinical paper of approximately 8 - 10,000 words should be submitted to the IGA Panel of
Readers. This should include a word count and appendices and bibliographies, which are not included
in the word count. Papers of over 10,000 words will be routinely returned. This paper must be
accepted before the student can be recommended to the Board of Trustees for membership of the
Institute.
Membership of the Institute allows registration in the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Section of the
United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
The paper should be illustrated by clinical material drawn from the first training group and should focus
on some aspect of the training group which the student has presented for supervision. The purpose of
the paper is to demonstrate how the student has internalised and integrated the training in their clinical
work. It should demonstrate how the student has used all aspects of the training (theory, supervision
and personal therapy) in developing a group analytic way of working. It should indicate something
about the student as a group analyst, how (s) he thinks, acts and reflects. Theory should be integrated
with clinical and personal observation. The paper should not aim to demonstrate solely a grasp of
theoretical ideas, but how they are applied. For this paper, students are invited to include subjective
material about their development as a group conductor during the training.
Students are encouraged to have early discussions with their tutors to clarify any ambiguities or
uncertainties and to begin bringing their ideas into focus. Where a paper does not reach the required
standard the student will be given every help in modifying and improving it by his or her tutor or, if
necessary, by a member of the Panel of Readers.
The paper will be assessed on presentation and content. An Introduction and Summary provide a useful
framework. The use of headings and sub-sections is encouraged. A bibliography should be included.
The paper should be typed on A4 paper, double-spaced. An appendix/brief account of the group
members can be useful with care taken to protect patient’s confidentiality. Each individual will need to
be described in terms of ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, etc, to avoid any discrimination of
minorities.
It is expected that papers will be submitted no sooner than six months after completion of the taught
component of the course and on completion of all course requirements. Clinical Papers must not be
submitted later than two years after completion of all course components. Students are expected to
remain in their therapy group until the submission and acceptance of their clinical papers. Students who
find themselves unable to submit their papers within the specified time requirement should apply to the
Course Convenor for an extension.
In the event that a student chooses not to submit their clinical paper within the time period, but
subsequently wishes to submit a paper, a formal application must be made in writing to the Chair of the
London Courses Committee (LCC). The letter must state the reasons for delaying the initial completion
of the training, the dates of first group beginning and ending, the details of that placement and the name
of the IGA first group supervisor. The LCC will consider the application and if it is agreed to be
appropriate, a period of supervised clinical practice for a minimum of one year will be permitted, during
which time the student will attend an IGA supervision Group. A clinical paper may then be written on
this piece of work and a tutor will be appointed to support this process.
Eleven copies of the paper should be submitted to Dr Anne-Marie Salm, Chair of the Panel of Readers,
The Institute of Group Analysis, 1 Daleham Gardens, London NW3 5BY. The panel of readers will
meet three times a year when papers are passed or a re-write may be requested. Students will be given
the dates by which a paper can be submitted for the next panel.
Should the LCC be unable to integrate the Panel recommendation into their overall assessment the
student, a (telephone) conference will be held between selected members of LCC and the Panel of
Readers. If this does not resolve the situation, the Training and Academic Policy Committee (TAPC)
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will mediate and take the final decision as to whether the student has met the criteria for a pass.
A copy of the paper will be held in the IGA library at 1 Daleham Gardens. The Institute retains it as a
confidential document. The student holds copyright for the paper, it remains their confidential property
and any request for access is at the student's discretion.
6.6: Qualification
Qualification is at the discretion of the Council of the Institute, which receives recommendations from
the London Courses Committee. It is dependent upon satisfactory performance in, and integration of,
the different elements of the training - personal therapy; supervised practice; other course activities
including large groups, business meetings and workshops; theoretical work; and dissertations. The
minimum duration of the training is five years from the time of commencement of personal group
analysis until graduation with the IGA and is usually longer. The training is under continuous review
and may be changed.
6.7: Graduation and admission to the Institute
There is an annual Graduation Ceremony for new members of the Institute, usually in December. On
qualification members are entitled to:





Use of the qualifications, Group Analyst, and Member, Institute of Group Analysis
(Mem. Inst. G.A.)
Receive a copy of the Institute's newsletter, Dialogue
Receive a copy of the Institute's Member’s Handbook
Attend the Annual General Meeting of the Institute as a voting member
Attendance at the Institute's post-graduate events
Members are eligible for:
 Membership of the Institute's Council and Committees
 Staff responsibilities in the Institute's Introductory, Regional, Overseas and Qualifying Courses
 Registration as a Group Analyst with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy
 Full membership of the Group Analytic Society
A roster of the Institute's membership is produced annually. To maintain their membership, Group
Analysts must pay an annual subscription, maintain professional indemnity insurance and abide by the
Institute's Code of Ethical Practice. [See Appendix B] A copy of the Institute's Constitution is
available from the office. There is also an annual graduation ceremony for those who complete the
MSc at Birkbeck, usually in March.
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7: PERSONAL GROUP ANALYSIS
7.1: Group Analysis as a Personal Therapy
Students undertake a twice-weekly group analysis in a patient group with a Training Group Analyst,
throughout their training. They are personally responsible for arranging their own therapy, for
managing their fees and all other aspects of their therapeutic experience. Training Group Analysts are
appointed by Council on the recommendation of Training and Academic Policy Committee and a list of
the Institute's recognised Training Group Analysts, with details of the location of their groups, is
available from the Institute office.
7.2: Group Analysis as a Course Requirement
Students are required to have spent at least one year in their therapy group prior to the commencement
of formal training, though this pre-training period in therapy is usually longer. Although the length of
the group analysis is not fixed - it is a matter for the student, the group and the group analyst - it must
continue at least until their clinical paper has been accepted
7.3: The Rationale for a Personal Group Analysis
Personal group analysis is the cornerstone of group-analytic training, underpinning both supervised
practice and theoretical learning. A training analysis was made obligatory for all candidates in
psychoanalytic training in 1922. Following this tradition the professional training of a group analyst which originates with the formation of the Institute of Group Analysis in 1971 - requires students to
undertake a personal group analysis.
By undergoing group analytic psychotherapy as a patient, the student acquires first-hand experience of
the therapeutic potential of group analysis. The self-knowledge gained is the foundation for the
student's developing clinical resources. Receptivity to the unconscious processes of others, and the
capacities to withstand projection, to work with transference, and to use counter-transference creatively
and to therapeutic effect, all depend crucially on a psychotherapist's access to their own unconscious.
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8: THE SUPERVISION OF CLINICAL PRACTICE
Students are required to conduct two groups under supervision. The first, set up early in the training
and continuing for a minimum of six full terms, (see 4.3a for understanding and clarification of the
remit) is a once-weekly clinical group for adults. The second, conducted in the final training year, is of
shorter duration and in many cases may accommodate students' own special areas of interest.
8.1: Student status in Clinical Practice
It is important students do not mislead patients or other professionals about their training, experience or
qualifications. It is the responsibility of each student to make clear their status as student, in their
clinical work and in their therapy group. Many students may have considerable experience, seniority
and competence within their profession but they are currently trainees in one aspect of their professional
life and while conducting their clinical work as part of their training they should be clear they are
training in group analysis. Often in clinical placements which are part of their training there will be a
title agreed with the organisation reflecting the contract, which people use to describe themselves:
’honorary therapist’, ‘visiting therapist’, ‘clinic member’ etc. If asked to explain this title students
should clarify their role; they may not call themselves group analysts.
All students are expected to make arrangements to meet with their placement supervisor, in order to
cover issues of clinical risk and responsibility regarding their group members. The minimum frequency
for this should be once per term.
8.2: Recording and Holding of Clinical Data
Students are reminded that any clinical data held on patients, including notes for supervision purposes,
are subject to the local policies of their placement and also national legal framework such as the Data
Protection Act. Students are reminded that all data held on patients must be “the minimum data
necessary for the purpose”. In the case of supervision notes, it is recommended that first names and
initials only are used and that other identifying details such as surnames and dates of birth are not held
in personal process notes.
8.3: The First Training Group
A. Commencement: Students will be expected to assemble this group during the first and second terms
and to start before or immediately after the Easter break in their first year of training.
B. Preparation: During the first term, in which all members of the year-group will meet together for
supervision, their work will include preparation of the setting in which their training groups will be
held, including communication within the institution, liaison with referring agents, assessment
interviews, preparation of reports and the composition of small groups.
C. Supervision: From the beginning of the second term of supervision, during the period when students
are assembling training groups, they will move into small weekly supervision groups with a mixed
population of trainees from different year-groups. Students must not start selecting patients for their
groups until they are in supervision. They will attend supervision during the academic term for the rest
of the training or for as long as required by London Courses Committee (also see Appendix D: Criteria
and Procedure for Ending Supervision of First Group).
D. Duration: The first training group is not a time limited group. It is expected that this first group
will be conducted under supervision for a minimum of six full terms from the commencement of the
training group, but it may continue for considerably longer than this. There is no obligation to terminate
this group at the end of training. Students must fully discuss with their supervisors the remit of the
training group before assembling the group. Students are also required to prepare their patients at least
six months in advance that the group will be closing.
E. Context and Composition: This first training group is a once-weekly, mixed, clinical stranger group
for adults. Arrangements for these groups may be made at students' own place of work or elsewhere,
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and must be approved by the Institute. If there are difficulties in establishing groups, the Course
Convenor will be able to assist.
F. Conductor: Students are required to establish this group on their own and to conduct it without a cotherapist for the duration of their time in supervision.
G. Placement Supervisor: All students must arrange to have a clinical placement supervisor at their
placement where they run their training group. The role of the placement supervisor is to monitor and
support your progress; provide clinical oversight of your training group, to arrange continuity of cover
over break periods where appropriate and liaise with other agencies where necessary. The frequency of
supervision sessions may be negotiated with your placement supervisor, but the minimum is once per
term. Your placement supervisor will be invited to contact the course convenor if there are any
concerns or queries about your training placement.
8.4: The Second Training Group
A. Commencement: Students will be expected to assemble the second training group during the sixth
term of training and to start this group by the beginning of the seventh term, latest, i.e. at the beginning
of their final year. Before proceeding with these arrangements, students will be required to present a
proposal for this group to the London Courses Committee via the Course Convenor. Advice for the
proposal and for setting up the Second Training Group can be found in Appendix E. Students can
only start their second training groups after completing the required work with individual patients.
In exceptional circumstances and with the permission of London Courses Committee, a student might
defer commencement of the second group until after completion of the academic curriculum thereby
extending the training by a further year. Please note that students who delay the start of running their
second training group will not meet the clinical requirement of passing the MSc module for the end of
the third year. The graduation from the MSc therefore will also be deferred for a year.
B. Preparation: Students will be expected to submit a proposal for the second training group to London
Courses Committee during the sixth term of training. Preliminary theory and clinical seminars are
timetabled in the second year. There will be further preparatory meetings with a senior group analyst to
help the students with their proposal to LCC.
C. Supervision: Students will join a new supervision group at the beginning of the seventh term, which
will continue on a weekly basis during the academic term for the duration of the concluding year of
training. The supervisor will be different from the supervisor of their first training group.
D. Duration: These may be time-limited groups and would thus terminate at the end of the supervision
period. Groups should last for one year (30 sessions) or, alternatively, students might work with up to
three consecutive shorter-term groups of the same type in the same setting. For example they may
conduct three one-term student groups; or a series of closed groups in a day-centre or hospital.
Alternatively it is acceptable to bring to second group supervision a group that you may already be
conducting, or you may wish to convene a second slow-open group in either a private or agency setting.
[For further information see Appendix E].
E. Context and composition: Arrangements for these groups may be made at students' own place of
work or elsewhere, and must be approved by the Institute. If there are difficulties in establishing
groups, the Course Convenor may be able to assist. All groups should offer therapy to a patient
population on at least a once-weekly basis, and it is hoped that a wide variety of such groups will be
established reflecting the different interests and work experiences of students. Examples might include:
in-patient groups; groups for different generations including children, adolescents and the elderly;
homogeneous groups of a single sex or with special problems; staff groups.
F. Conductor: Students may elect to conduct their second training group with a co-therapist in which
case it is required for the student to assume responsibility for the group. It is not sufficient to work as a
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junior partner in another colleagues' project. Co-therapy supervision must be arranged additionally by
the student.
8.5: Individual Psychotherapy Supervision
Students will need to show competence in therapeutic work with individuals. Those with insufficient
individual experience will be required to treat patients for psychotherapy and attend a weekly
supervision seminar for this. There is a fee for this in addition to normal course fees. Each patient is
required to be seen for a minimum of 40 sessions. You may be requested to see none, one or two
patients, according to the level of your previous clinical experience. Patients may be seen concurrently
or consecutively.
Students are advised that wherever possible, the Individual Psychotherapy work should be
finished by the end of the spring term of year two, in order to start running their second training
group by early in the autumn term of year 3 at the latest. Students who delay commencing their second
training groups too far into the third year, may find that they have not completed the MSc requirements
for this part of the training by the end of the third year. This may result in a delay to their MSc
graduation.
A. Number of patients and duration of therapy: Each student required to take on individual patients
will present two patients for supervision, each seen once weekly for a minimum of forty sessions during
the year with a rhythm of appropriate breaks. The patient brought to this supervision is expected to be a
new patient for the student.
B. Termination: Should a patient drop out or terminate prematurely, the student will be required to take
on another patient who will be seen for not less than forty weekly sessions with supervision throughout.
C. Assessment: In order to ensure the suitability of proposed patients, students should arrange for them
to be assessed by a qualified psychotherapist. Should this not be possible, students' own assessment
should be confirmed by their supervisor.
8.6: Insurance, clinical responsibility and medical cover
A. Insurance: All students must take out a professional indemnity for malpractice cover unless already
adequately covered. Further information is available from the Institute office. [See 5.6 above]
B. Clinical responsibility: It is the responsibility of individual students to ensure that there is good
communication between themselves and those who carry clinical responsibility for their patients. The
Course Convenor makes contact at the start of training with the placement of each student in writing,
and may ask later for feedback in case of concern about the student’s performance.
C. Medical cover: Those students who require medical cover for their work should ensure this is
provided and they are responsible for making their own arrangements.
8.7: Feedback and Evaluation
A. Group-analytic supervision: Each supervisor draws upon and works with the process of the
supervision group so that feedback, appraisal and evaluation take place in the group on a reciprocal and
continuous basis.
B. Reporting and evaluation: Supervisors report to the London Courses Committee on the progress of
group members twice yearly. Prior to submitting, the reports are discussed with each trainee, who has
the option to add their own comments. Both, supervisors and supervisee, sign each report. Decisions
about standards of practice and ultimately about qualification are taken in the London Courses
Committee, which is also the responsible body if serious concerns arise about the progress and
development of individual students. Should students express discontent it should be possible to address
their concerns in the supervision groups, but they always have access to the Course Convenor and,
where necessary, to the London Courses Committee.
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9: OTHER COURSE ACTIVITIES
9.1: Large Groups
Large groups are an integral part of the training. They are scheduled to take place on two Monday
evenings each term and provide a regular forum for discourse and exchange within the student body.
They are led by an appointed convenor, presently Gerhard Wilke, and are attended by students in all
three training years. Designated staff from the training community also attend the large groups.
9.2: Course Appraisal Meetings
These meetings are scheduled to take place twice a year to provide a forum for appraisal and evaluation
of the training. They are convened by the Student Representatives and attended by students in all three
training years, and are open to attendance by supervisors, core teachers and members of the London
Courses Committee. They provide the most direct opportunity for students' experience of the training to
be shared with staff, and vice versa, for the purpose of open and constructive appraisal.
9.3: Workshops
Theory workshops are intended as a bi-annual event to cater specifically for the Qualifying Course, its
students and its staff. Student representatives have played an important role in designing and setting up
the first of these events and further recommendations and contributions would be welcome. In recent
years Qualifying Course students from other UK trainings in group analysis have been invited to
participate in both the planning and attendance of the workshop.
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10: APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
STUDENT BODY, TRAINING STAFF AND COMMITTEES OF THE INSTITUTE
A.1 Student Body 2010
First Year
Second Year
Jacqui Buckley
Michelle McCarthy
Emma Rayfield
Sarah Tyerman
Sarah Wainstein
Alison West
Third Year
Fourth Year
Catherine Bray
Melanie Clews
Jean-christophe Larkin
Alan Larney
Maria Papanastassiou
Janos Verebes
Farideh Dizadji
James Easton
Anna Learmonth
Mary Levens
Christine Oliver
Tim Stott
Irene Stuhardt
A.2 Supervisors
A.3 Year Group Co-ordinators
Mrs Linda Anderson
Mrs Sue Einhorn
Mrs Sylvia Hutchinson
Dr Jessica Mayer Johnson
Mrs Diana Kinder
Mrs Marie-Louise Rabe
Ms Sheila Ritchie
Mr Norman Vella
1st Year, Sarah Tucker
2nd Year, Frances Griffiths
3rd Year, John Schlapobersky
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A.4 Committees
Board of Trustees
Ms Karen Ainsbury
Mrs Marion Brown
Ms Kathryn Craig
Dr Chris Evans
Mrs Frances Griffiths (Hon. Treasurer)
Dr Jason Maratos
Dr Don Montgomery
Mr Marcus Page (Chair)
Reverend Robert Plant
Ms Sally Stamp
Mr Peter Wilson
Ethics
Ms Jessica James
Mr Patrick Mandikate
Mrs Jacqueline Matthams (Co-Chair)
Mr Andy Thomas (Co-Chair)
Ms Kay Young
London Courses Committee
Mrs Eira Beddall (Chair)
Ms Monica Doran
Prof Stephen Frosh (Programme Director, Birkbeck)
Ms Liza Glenn
Mrs Frances Griffiths (2nd Yr Co-ordinator & Tutor
Coordinator)
Ms Monica Meinrath
Panel of Readers
Mr Andrew Downie
Mrs Allyson Lumsden
Mrs Frances Griffiths
Mr Chris Powell
Training and Academic Policy Committee
Mrs Eira Beddall (Chair LCC)
Mrs Isobel Conlon
Mrs Sue Einhorn
Ms Sheila Ernst (Chair, Admissions Board)
Mrs Eileen Gallagher
Mrs Bonnie Gold (Chair)
Ms Sheila Ritchie
Mrs Cynthia Rogers
Mr Chris Scanlon (Programme Tutor,
Birkbeck 2010/11)
John Schlapobersky (3rd Yr Co-ordinator)
Ms Sarah Tucker (1st Yr Co-ordinator)
Dr Nicola von Fraunhofer (QC Convenor)
Student Reps: 4th Year: Farideh Dizadji
3rd Year: Janos Verebes
2nd Year:
1st Year:
Dr Michael Rigby
Dr Anne-Marie Salm (Chair)
Sarah Tucker
Dr Keith Hyde (Man. Courses Committee)
Mrs Diana Kinder
Dr Jane Massey
Ms Amélie Noack (Chair, ICC)
Dr Anne Marie Salm (Chair, Panel of Readers)
Mr Peter Wilson (National Training
Coordinator, Ex Officio)
Group Analytic Society
Administrator:
Ms Julia Porturas-Forrest
Head Office:
102 Belsize Lane
London, NW3 5BY
Tel: 020 7435 6611
Students are offered reduced membership and can contact the Administrator for information.
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APPENDIX B
CODES OF ETHICS AND PRACTICE OF THE INSTITUTE OF GROUP ANALYSIS
Members of the Institute of Group Analysis (the IGA) must read the Code of Ethics, the Code of
Practice, and the Disciplinary Processes of the Institute. They are required to abide by the rules
contained in these documents.
In these documents the word “Member” means Member, Honorary Member, or Student Member of the
IGA.
The Codes of Ethics and Practice are complementary and should be used together.
The rules apply in private and employed practice, and to psychotherapy with groups, individuals,
couples, or families. Breach of the Code of Ethics or the Code of Practice may lead (whether or not as a
result of a complaint by a patient or a member of the public) to the initiation of disciplinary proceedings
by the IGA.
Proceedings may be taken against a Member whose behaviour could be considered unethical whether or
not that behaviour is forbidden in these Codes.
1st June 2004
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CODE OF ETHICS
1. Qualifications
Members must not claim to possess qualifications which they do not have. On request Members should
disclose their qualifications and explain their methods of practice clearly to prospective patients. (See
also para. 13 and Code of Practice para.8)
Members are required to maintain their ability to perform competently. (Code of Practice para. 1)
2. Selection of Patients
Therapists must not exclude anyone from treatment solely on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation,
age, race, religion, nationality, or physical disability. (See, however, Code of Practice para. 2)
3. Setting up a Contract
a) There must be a clear and unambiguous agreement between patient and therapist regarding the
work. (See Code of Practice para. 4)
b) Therapists should be aware of their limitations and not attempt to work beyond their
competence.
4. Relationships with Patients
a) Sexual contacts between therapist and patient are forbidden. (See Code of Practice para 5)
b) Members are required to maintain appropriate boundaries with their patients. They must take
care not to exploit patients, current or past, in any way, financially, sexually, or emotionally.
5. Use of Violence
The use of violence against a patient is forbidden. Physical restraint may be justifiable if the safety of
any person present is threatened.
6. Financial Transactions
Financial transactions between therapist and patient, other then those relating to fees, are forbidden.
7. Confidentiality
a) All material and information passing between patient and therapist is confidential. There will,
however, be occasions when it is necessary to break confidentiality with or without the patient’s
consent. (See Code of Practice paras. 6a and 6c)
b) All information about a patient held on a computer must be secure. Computerised information
must conform to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and its revisions. (See Code
of Practice para. 6e)
8. Publication of Clinical Material
This paragraph covers lectures and seminars as well as printed material. Prior to publication of material
from individual or group psychotherapy permission for publication must be obtained in writing and the
patient’s wishes regarding this must be respected. The patient should be offered the opportunity to
influence the publication before printing.
Publication of clinical material without permission is permitted provided that the identity of the patient
is so disguised that neither the patient nor others can recognise him or her.
9. Research
a) Members are required to clarify with patients the nature, purpose, and conditions of any
research in which the patient is to be involved and to ensure that informed and written consent
is given before the start of the project.
b) Consent must be gained before any video or audio recording of a patient takes place.
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10. Fitness to Practise
a) Members shall not work professionally when under the influence of alcohol, or drugs likely to
affect their judgement, or when incapacitated by infirmity or illness.
b) Members are required to refrain from any behaviour which might be detrimental to the
profession, to patients, to colleagues, or trainees. (See Code of Practice para.7)
c) Members shall inform the Chair of the Ethics Committee if a colleague’s behaviour or fitness to
practise could be called into question.
11. Professional Indemnity Insurance
Members must ensure that their work is covered by indemnity arrangements against possible claims for
damages for negligence, malpractice, or accidental injury whether in private practice or in work
undertaken for an employer. The Group Analyst must never assume that someone else is holding this
responsibility.
12. Litigation in other Contexts
a) Members are required to inform the Chair of the Ethics Committee immediately if they are
faced with criminal prosecution, or with civil litigation relevant to professional practice in a
civil court.
b) Members are also required to inform the Chair of the Ethics Committee on the commencement
of an investigation or disciplinary proceedings by an employer, or another professional body, in
relation to their work as psychotherapists.
13. Advertising
Members must not make false claims as to competence or qualification, nor use personal testimonials
for advertising purposes. (See Code of Practice para. 8)
14. Suspension from Membership
A Member shall not work as a psychotherapist during any period of suspension from membership
arising from the Disciplinary Processes of the IGA or from a criminal conviction bearing relevance to
the practice of psychotherapy.
1st June 2004
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CODE OF PRACTICE
1. Professional Competence
Membership of the IGA affirms competence for independent practice. Members are, however,
required to attend to their continuing personal and professional development. Members are urged to
seek supervision as soon as they become aware of a problem within a therapy group, or with an
individual patient.
2. Selection and Discrimination
Patients may be selected for specific criteria. Selection criteria must be clear and explicit. (See Code
of Ethics para. 2)
3. Psychiatric Assessment
Members should arrange for a psychiatric assessment of a patient, before or during treatment,
whenever necessary.
4. Contract
a) This must be agreed before the start of therapy and should include place, time, and frequency of
sessions; setting and payment of fees; and holiday arrangements. Due notice of changes in
arrangements must where possible be given.
b) Members must provide a proper setting for the therapy, whether for a group or for an individual.
c) Financial arrangements must be discussed with the patient before treatment begins. This
includes details of fees to be paid to an agency or to the Member, payment for missed sessions,
and payment during holidays.
d) No fees may be paid to a referring colleague but where costs are incurred by using a referrer a
single payment is permitted.
5. Sexual Contact
Sexual contact with current patients is not allowed. Past patients must not be exploited sexually or
emotionally. (See Code of Ethics para. 4)
6. Confidentiality
a) Confidential material may be disclosed to colleagues without the patient’s consent where those
colleagues are bound by rules of confidentiality. Allocation meetings, case discussions, referral
letters, supervision, and the therapist’s own therapy are examples of such contexts.
b) The patient’s consent must be obtained before contacting other professionals such as a general
practitioner or another therapist. Under exceptional circumstances other professionals may be
contacted without permission, but the patient should be informed of this. (See para. 6c below)
c) A Member may find on occasion that it is a matter of public or professional duty to break
confidentiality. Members should always consult a colleague before doing this and, if possible,
advise the patient of the proposed action.
d) A Training Group Analyst shall not break the confidentiality of a student’s personal therapy
with regard to the student’s history or inner world. However, the Training Analyst may give an
opinion on the readiness of a student to begin, to continue, or to complete and qualify from the
formal part of the training course; in doing so the Training Analyst may comment on the
student’s involvement in his or her therapy, the student’s progress in the therapy, and the
suitability of his or her personality for training as a therapist.
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e) The Data Protection Act 1998 enshrines in law a patient’s right to have personal information
protected. Members must not obtain, record, hold, use, or transmit such information without the
explicit consent of the patient, except in the situations described above in this paragraph, or in
other situations for which the Act gives express permission.
7. Relationships with Colleagues
A Member shall do nothing unfairly to damage the reputation, personal or professional, of a
colleague (but see Code of Ethics para. 10c).
8. Advertising
Advertisements should not make false claims and should describe only training undertaken,
qualifications held, and services offered by the Member. (See Code of Ethics para. 13)
9. Professional Will
Members shall make provision for the appropriate care of their patients in the event of the
Member’s sudden illness or death by naming a colleague or colleagues who should be kept up to
date with the names and addresses of current patients.
1st June 2004
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APPENDIX C
LIST OF QUALIFYING COURSE KEY TEXTS
Below is a list of the twenty most frequently cited texts in the reading lists for the London Qualifying Course.
Please note: items are listed with full author/s / editor/s, date of available edition, title, publisher, full ISBN, and
the IGA/GAS Library classification code.
Barnes, B., Ernst, S
& Hyde, L.
(1999) An introduction to groupwork: a group analytic perspective
Macmillan, ISBN: 9780333632246, Classification: ISW U
Behr, H. &
Hearst, L.
(2005) Group-Analytic psychotherapy: a meeting of minds
Whurr, ISBN: 9781861564757. Classification: ISW U
Brown, D. &
Zinkin, L (Eds)
(2000) The Psyche and the Social World: Developments in Group-Analytic
Theory. Jessica Kingsley, ISBN: 9781853029288. Classification: ISW U
£21.99
£24.99
£25.00
Burkitt, I.
(1991) Social selves: theories of the social formation of personality, Sage
ISBN: 9780803983854, Classification: IKA
£21.99
Dalal, F.
(1998) Taking the Group Seriously: Towards a Post-Foulkesian Group Analytic
Theory, Jessica Kingsley, ISBN: 9781853026423. Classification: ISW
£22.99
Foulkes, S. H.
(1983) Introduction to Group-Analytic Psychotherapy: Studies in the social
integration of individuals and groups. Karnac, ISBN: 9780946439003.
Classification: ISW U
£24.99
(1990) Selected Papers: Psychoanalysis and Group Analysis.
Karnac, ISBN: 9780946439560. Classification: ISW UAK 3LS
£29.99
Foulkes, S. H.
Foulkes, S. H.
(1984) Therapeutic Group Analysis. Karnac, ISBN: 9780946439096
Classification: ISW U
£24.99
Foulkes, S. H.
& Anthony, E. J.
(1965) Group Psychotherapy: the psychoanalytic approach. Karnac
ISBN: 9780946439102. Classification: ISW U
£24.99
Greenberg. J. &
Mitchell, S.
(1983) Object relations in psychoanalytic theory, Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674629752, Classification: IAM OB
£48.99
Klein, M.
(1997) Envy and gratitude, Vintage, ISBN: 9780099752011
Classification: IAP KL3 LY
£11.99
Lipgar, R &
Pines, M. (Eds.)
(2002) Building on Bion: branches: contemporary developments and applications of
Bion's Contributions to Theory and Practice, Jessica Kingsley,
ISBN: 9781843107118, Classification: IAP BI
£29.99
Mace, C. (Ed.)
(1995) The art and science of assessment in psychotherapy, Routledge
ISBN: 9780415105392, Classification: IRH VSP
Nitsun, M.
£21.99
(1996) The Anti-Group: Destructive forces in the group and their creative
potential. Routledge, ISBN: 9780415102117. Classification: ISW UQR NSV
£22.99
Pines, M.
(2000) The evolution of group analysis, Jessica Kingsley, ISBN: 9781853029257
Classification: ISW U7
£27.99
Rayner, E.
(1991) The independent mind in British psychoanalysis, Free Association Books,
ISBN: 9781853431609, Classification: IAM KJ
£22.00
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Roberts, J. &
Pines, M. (Eds.)
(1991) Practice of group analysis, Taylor and Francis
ISBN: 0415044847, Classification: ISW U5J
Rogers, C.
(2004) Psychotherapy and counselling: a professional business, Whurr
ISBN: 9781861563736, Classification: ISP 4C
£26.99
Sandler, J., Dare, C
& Holder, A.
(1992) The patient and the analyst: the basis of the analytic process, Karnac
ISBN: 9781855750081, Classification: IAK J
£22.99
Schermer, V.
(1994) Ring of Fire: Primitive Affects and Object Relations in Group
Psychotherapy. Routledge, ISBN: 9780415066822, Classification: ISW UAM OB
£22.99
Segal, H.
(1988) Introduction to the work of Melanie Klein, Karnac
ISBN: 9780946439508, Classification: IAP KL
£15.99
not in stock/out of print
£22.99
Symington, J. &
Symington, N.
(1996) The clinical thinking of Wilfred Bion, Routledge, ISBN: 9780415093538
Classification¨ IAP BI
£19.99
Winnicott, D.
(1990) The Maturational processes and the facilitating environment: studies in the
theory of emotional development, Karnac/Institute of Psycho-analysis
ISBN: 9780946439843, Classification: IAP WN
£29.99
Winnicott, D.
(1982) Playing and reality, Routledge, ISBN: 9780415345460
Classification: IAP WN
Yalom, Irvin D
£14.99
(2005) Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. [5th edition] Basic Books
ISBN: 9780465092840. Classification: ISW
£29.99
Prices as quoted on the Karnac Bookshop website, 22nd June 2010
Students might want to check www.amazon.co.uk
The following is a recommendation from students:
Northedge, A.
(2005) The Good Study Guide, Open University Press, 2nd revised edition
ISBN 9780749200442
£9.99
NB Karnac offers:
5% DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS AND TRAINEES
To qualify please list your course and the name and address of your teaching establishment in the comments box
each time you order.
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APPENDIX D
CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE FOR ENDING SUPERVISION OF FIRST GROUP

A minimum of two calendar years from the start of the training group.
a) The supervisee will need permission from LCC to terminate supervision at about this time.
b) The supervisor should communicate the intention to terminate supervision with the supervisee
to the LCC at least one term before the expected termination, so that it may be ratified by the
LCC.

Supervisee could be required to continue in supervision by supervisor if in the supervisor’s opinion,
this is necessary.
c) In this instance, the supervisor should let the supervisee know about this possibility preferable
six months before the two years boundary, but at least one term before then.
d) This intention also needs to be communicated to the LCC at this time, and needs to be ratified
by LCC.

The supervisee should only leave the supervision group at the end of a term.
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APPENDIX E
SOME ADVICE AND CAUTIONS ON SETTING UP THE SECOND TRAINING GROUP
First, some clarifications
You are expected to attend the supervision group for the whole year, even if you have completed the
minimum number of required sessions (30) before then.
The second training group may be a slow open or time limited group; it may contain ‘homogenous’
populations (say, women’s groups, or a group of addicts etc.); it may also be a staff-support group. The
fundamental conditions are 1. that it should meet regularly – preferably weekly – and preferably for an
hour and a half each time; 2. The group should be group-analytic rather than (say) a Gestalt, or
psychodrama group; 3. the group should have some therapeutic element, with the focus being on the
participants and the group process.
It would be helpful to run a different kind of group from the first one to broaden your range of
experience; or/and think of running the kind of group that will be useful to you in your future career as a
group analyst. Think about your weakness and strengths; discuss the pros and cons of the different
possibilities with your peers, supervisor, tutor, and course convenor…
Students are strongly advised to be limited in their ambitions to what is feasible to set up within a
short number of weeks. Attention needs to be paid to identify a ready supply of referrals and not
trying to set up a new service, where none existed previously, as this is unlikely to be achieved within
the time constraints of the training. The simplest types of groups are single issue groups, such as all
men/all women, groups for a single diagnosis (depression, easting disorders, etc), or a single situation
(parent groups, staff supervision groups etc). These groups can usually be recruited from with preexisting waiting lists in departments and therefore are usually the most practical for training purposes.
Types of groups not acceptable as training groups.
Supervision groups
At this stage of the training we think that a supervision group would not constitute an appropriate
training experience.
‘Block’ groups
Whilst these are important, they are complicated for training purposes, as they cannot be supervised
sufficiently closely. (you might end up running say five sessions over a weekend, and would have one
supervision for it).
Simultaneous groups
Two or more groups (say each for 15 sessions) being run concurrently in the same week, are not
acceptable for training purposes. Once again this is because they would both need to be supervised
separately each week.
Types of groups that are acceptable but can be problematic
Make things as straightforward as possible and avoid running groups that compound the complexities.
Be clear on the aim of your group. Once you have decided what that is, then try to keep every thing else
as simple as possible. For example, if you have decided that your group is about say, ‘relationships’,
then avoid complicating the situation by, say, co-conducting. Things are difficult enough to see without
adding too many new variables. Some additional thoughts that you might find helpful are set down
below. It is advisable to try to avoid the following elements in the structure of the second group.
These are not to be taken as definitive instructions as to what you are allowed or not allowed to do.
These are some thoughts for your guidance; after all, you might positively welcome some of these
complications.
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Very short term groups (10/15 weeks)
1. Time: The amount of time required to set up groups is more or less the same whether you do a 30week group or whether you do a 10-week group. You will still have to interview each person at
least twice, and maybe more. That’s 16 to 25 hours and this does not include writing letters,
gathering referrals, meeting with referrers etc. If you run two or three such groups in the year, then
you will double or triple the time spent, and double and triple your anxiety.
2. Mistakes in assessment: If you find that you have put inappropriate people into your group, and
there are dropouts (not unusual), there is less time to rescue the situation. In a long term openended group there are possibilities of introducing new people. Strictly speaking in a closed, shortterm group, this possibility is not available to you. Once again if your group is of 10 or 15 weeks
duration then you cut down your flexibility to accommodate difficulties. In a 30-week group, there
is enough time to add someone new in the first two to four weeks.
Private Groups
Only think about doing a private group if you are extremely sure of your personal referral network. It is
not unusual for a qualified and experienced group-analyst to take up to two years to set up a reasonably
functioning group in the world of private practice. It requires a lot of networking, assessing, and
holding potential group members. If you are considering this option nevertheless, then begin
preparations at least a year before you hope to start the group.
Co-Conducting
1. As soon as you start co-conducting, you have immediately complicated the responsibilities and the
dynamic administration. For example, you have to spend considerable time with your co-conductor
to ensure that you will be speaking the same language (i.e. group-analytic).
2. You have to ensure that you are the ‘one in charge’. (A training requirement).
3. If the co-conductor is a novice in terms of groups, you will effectively be teaching them as well as
running the group.
4. You will need to arrange for additional supervisions with the co-conductor as well. (A training
requirement).
Novel populations and themes
Avoid populations (say adolescents) and themes (say alcohol abuse) that you are very unfamiliar with –
unless you are particularly interested in gaining knowledge in that area. If you do decide to do it then
ensure that you have considerable support and help from someone who does know the particular area
well.
New contexts
Several trainees have changed jobs whilst in the training, and have hoped to start their second group in
the new context. This has always taken longer than expected, because there are always new dynamics,
rivalries etc. to contend with. It might be worth staying with the familiar.
Community groups
Once again, whilst these are valuable groups, there is a difficulty in supervising these, as often there is
several staff present, and this makes for unclarity regarding who is ‘in charge’.
Groups with changing populations
Avoid running groups with changing populations (e.g. staff groups where there is a rotating shift
system, or community groups where the patient and staff population can fluctuate) as this complicates
the conducting process enormously.
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APPENDIX F
APPROACHES TO ACADEMIC WRITING
This an outline of the written components of the training, with the aim to help students identify how to
do the type of writing they are being asked to do
Support
Tutors will be informed of what is expected of students and by when. Tutors have a twofold role, which
included supervision of written work. Students can reasonably expect tutors to read and comment on
working progress, to comment on improvements and to give ideas on other sources of help, e.g.
literature or people with particular expertise. The purpose of the tutorials is to help students to organise
their work, to make suggestions and to monitor and help with progress. Tutors are not expected to
correct or mark work before submission. Written work is an independent piece of work.
Each year group, will have a Year Group Coordinator, who is also an allocated member of the Core
Teaching Group and who will work closely with the IGA Course Convenor and the Birkbeck Tutor to
ensure that students are clear about what is being expected of them in relation to the academic
component of the course. Teaching staff will also be aware of the written requirements and the
expected learning outcomes. Third year students doing a dissertation will be allocated a dissertation
supervisor.
Notes on Academic Writing
 write to specified length
 submit on time
 include references and bibliography
 give a word count
 number all pages
 no mention of real names or placements – refer to descriptively
Display the following
 theoretical knowledge understood – familiar with source material
 address and answer the question
 present arguments clearly with logical sequence and keep focussed without repetition. Keep it
simple and be sure you know what you mean by the terms you are using.
 acceptable presentation
 critical judgement including your own viewpoint – but substantiate it
 independent thinking
Preparation: Getting Started
1.





Analyse titles and question; if relevant choose a topic or focus
check instructions
check on relevant material: use the library
what views do I want to put forward – how do I substantiate?
timetable reading, drafting
brainstorming
2.



Do initial structure and collect material
use sources and evidence
use tutor to assist with structuring
reading for a purpose: draw up notes to answer the question
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3.




Organise material and produce an outline
focus on one or two issues or give short overview and concentrate on one issue in depth
have introduction and conclusion
decide on main points and order them and select sub-points – be cohesive
writing in paragraphs is a way of thinking
4. Checking
 have you addressed the question?
 be convincing and clear – show that you know where you are going in your introduction
 Focussed conclusion– sense of completion
5.









Produce a draft
use as basis for tutorial discussion/peer response
bear outline in mind, think where each paragraph is leading and what central message is
check length and make sure material is relevant without needless repetition
check spelling and punctuation
acknowledge sources, avoid plagiarism
focus and develop an analysis
acknowledge and accommodate alternatives
compare and contrast
first draft, peer/tutor response, revised version
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The essay can link theoretical learning to clinical practice. It should:
 contain evidence of knowledge of the area outlined in the question - key issues and concepts and
where appropriate research or clinical evidence
 be well planned with a coherent structure and argument backed up by evidence and answering all
aspects of the question set
 present the ideas and arguments clearly and explain terms explicitly
 demonstrate evidence of your understanding the issues discussed rather than a list of facts or other
people’s explanations
 demonstrate sensitivity to the emotional meanings of what is being written about, i.e. essays will be
marked in accordance with content, structure, clarity and quality of analysis. If you include
quotations, use quotation marks and indicate the source of your quotation. Please include a list of
all your references at the end of your essay
 marks may be deducted for keeping to the word count. Please include the number of words
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APPENDIX G
Department of Psychosocial Studies
Post Graduate Submission Cover Sheet
Name (print clearly): ____________________________________________
OR
Candidate Number: ______________
Post Graduate programme: _______________________________________
Year: ________________________
Lecturer/Tutor: ________________________________________________
Title of Essay / Submission:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Word Count: ________________
“I certify that the work submitted herewith is my own and that I have duly acknowledged any
quotation from the published/unpublished works of other persons”
Signed: _______________________________________________________
Date of Submission: ____________________________
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Essay Assessment – Mark Sheet
Year 1
Assessment Grades
There are four grades: Distinction (70-100%), Merit (60-69%), Pass (50-59%) and Fail (0-49%)
PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT THE % MARKING SCHEME IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY.
Essays should demonstrate linking of theory to clinical practice. In year 1 it is recognized that students
will not be able to draw on material from supervised group analytic work, but use of relevant examples
from wider groups and group therapeutic experiences is encouraged.
CANDIDATE’S NAME/STUDENT NUMBER:
 CRITERIA
Content:
COMMENTS
Should account for approximately 30% of the
marks

Does the essay contain evidence of
knowledge of the area outlined in the
question – key issues and concepts and
where appropriate, research or clinical
evidence?
Structure:
Should account for approximately 10% of the
marks

Is the essay well-planned with a coherent
structure and argument backed up by
evidence and answering all aspects of
the question set?
Clarity:
Should account for approximately 25% of the
marks

Are the ideas and arguments presented
clearly and terms explained explicitly?
Quality of Analysis:
Relevance:

Should account for approximately 25% of the
marks
Should account for approximately 10% of the
marks
Does the essay demonstrate relevance
for clinical practice?
Essays should be marked separately by first and second examiners who should then agree a joint mark.
This should be included below. Mark sheets from all examiners and the essay should be returned to
School of Psychosocial Studies, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX by the agreed
date.
First examiner’s name:
Second examiner’s name
Agreed grade
Adjudicated grade (where needed)
Mark:
%
Mark:
%
Distinction/Merit/Pass/Fail
Distinction/Merit/Pass/Fail
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Essay Assessment – Mark Sheet
Year 2
Assessment Grades
There are four grades: Distinction (70-100%), Merit (60-69%), Pass (50-59%) and Fail (0-49%).
PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT THE % MARKING SCHEME IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY.
Essays should demonstrate linking of theory to clinical practice
CANDIDATE’S NAME/STUDENT NUMBER:
 CRITERIA
Content:
COMMENTS
Should account for approximately 25% of the
marks

Does the essay contain evidence of
knowledge of the area outlined in the
question – key issues and concepts and
where appropriate, research or clinical
evidence?
Structure:
Should account for approximately 10% of the
marks

Is the essay well-planned with a coherent
structure and argument backed up by
evidence and answering all aspects of
the question set?
Clarity:
Should account for approximately 20% of the
marks

Are the ideas and arguments presented
clearly and terms explained explicitly?
Quality of Analysis:
Relevance:

Should account for approximately 25% of the
marks
Should account for approximately 20% of the
marks
Does the essay demonstrate relevance
for clinical practice?
Essays should be marked separately by first and second examiners who should then agree a joint mark.
This should be included below. Mark sheets from all examiners and the essay should be returned to
School of Psychosocial Studies, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX by the agreed
date.
First examiner’s name:
Second examiner’s name
Agreed grade
Adjudicated grade (where needed)
Mark:
%
Mark:
%
Distinction/Merit/Pass/Fail
Distinction/Merit/Pass/Fail
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APPENDIX H
GUIDELINES ON WHAT MAKES A GOOD CLINICAL PAPER
A Good Paper:

demonstrates care for the group and the individual members on it.

shows the candidate’s struggle with and pleasure in the work.

is engagingly written.

shows integration of learning from supervision, theory and the candidate’s own therapy in the
thinking and writing about the clinical work in the training group.

gives appropriate details of the candidate’s personal life that resonate with the theme of the paper
and shows how these issues have been worked within personal therapy.

indicates that as a group conductor the candidate is aware of and working with figure and ground,
the individual members and the group as a whole.

demonstrates the candidate’s grasp of group analytic concepts.

demonstrates the candidate’s accurate understanding of, for example, psychoanalytic theory, object
relations, attachment theory relating to the theme of the paper. It is not recommended that the
candidate give a synopsis of the theory, only that he/she shows how it underpins his/her
understanding.

includes a full bibliography at the end of the paper.

offers an appendix that gives biographical details of each group member. Takes care in that respect
to describe each individual in terms of their gender, sexual orientation, class and race, to avoid
discrimination of minorities.

keeps within the 10,000-word limit.

is properly proofread and edited, without grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
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APPENDIX I
IGA STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE JOB DESCRIPTION
General Responsibilities
Work at the boundary of the year group
 Conduit for information
 Sounding board
 Petitioner for student interests
Specific Duties
 To keep the year group informed of the activities of the representative
 To initiate and facilitate discussions with year group on relevant issues
 To convey information from the Course Convenor to the year group and vice versa
 To sit on the Core Teaching Group and facilitate representation at other relevant events.
 To attend AGM
 To lead year group contribution at Course Appraisal Meetings.
Eligibility
 Any year group student
Appointment
 Election by year group
Review
 Annual reselection
Suggestions – need for structure to support the role of the representative
 Peer group meeting once each term, preferably mid way through each term
 Possibility of occasional 10-minute group business discussion at the beginning or end of a seminar,
by arrangement with the seminar tutor.
 ‘Support of year group representative role’ should be formalised in some way as part of good
teaching and organisational practice for all staff and students of the IGA.
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___________________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX J
TUTOR: JOB DESCRIPTION
Responsibilities
IGA tutors work alongside IGA teaching staff and supervisors to ensure that students are developing
confidence in their clinical skills and are building a firm identity as a group analyst.
IGA tutors, in terms of their own experience as group analysts, are able to contribute to the skills
expected of a graduate, i.e. the acquisition of a general understanding of the dynamics of groups and
organisations, and treatment of people with problems and symptoms within analytic therapy groups.
Tutors also have a developing role in the context of new academic requirements, Masters and nonMasters students and as part of an overall tutorial support system.
The role of the IGA tutors is two-fold:
Tasks
Pastoral: When a student may wish to raise issues about their training independent of the assessment
process. Students may wish to process some of the dynamics of relationship with and capacity to
participate in training structures and teaching experience. It is important to recognise that tutors are
independent in the sense that student progress is not reported on by tutors unless serious problems arise,
when both student and tutor agree that it would be in the best interest of the student for these problems
to be brought to the attention of the Course Convenor and the London Courses Committee.
Supervision of Written Work: To offer guidance and support in relation to the written requirements
starting from essays in the first year and second year, theory papers or dissertations in the third year, and
culminating in the Clinical Paper.
Tutors initiate the first contact with the student, and thereafter the meetings are by mutual agreement
with a minimum frequency of twice a year. Tutors have a responsibility to contact the Tutor Coordinator if they are unable to meet with their tutee, especially in the first year of training.
Students reasonably expect tutors to read and comment on work in progress, to comment on
improvements, and to give ideas on other sources of help, e.g. literature or people with particular
expertise.
The purpose of the tutorials is to help students organise their work, to make suggestions and to monitor
and help with progress. Tutors are not expected to correct or mark work before submission. Essays are
independent pieces of work.
Appointment
Allocations of tutors are made in the Autumn Term of the first year of training and should last for the
duration of the training. In the event of disharmony between a tutor and student, then help can be sought
from the Tutor Co-ordinator and the London Qualifying Course Convenor.
Note: Tutorial assistance for their academic work is also given to students is via:
Birkbeck Tutor:
Professor Stephen Frosh
Chris Scanlon (2010/11)
Year Group Coordinator:
Sarah Tucker, Year One
Frances Griffiths, Year Two
John Schlapobersky, Year Three
See Job Description for clarification of role.
Tutors will receive information on what is being asked of students: For further information please
contact Nicky von Fraunhofer, Convenor, London Qualifying Course.
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APPENDIX K
STUDENT FEEDBACK FORM RESPONSES
Year:
Term:
Seminar Series:
Seminar/Module Leader:
Content of the seminars
Overall Score ___________ (Poor
Adequate
Good
Very Good
Excellent)
Adequate
Good
Very Good
Excellent)
Adequate
Good
Very Good
Excellent)
Additional comments:
Style of presentation and teaching
Overall Score ___________ (Poor
Additional comments:
Relevance of reading material
Overall Score ___________ (Poor
Additional comments:
Were the learning objectives of this seminar series clear? Yes_______ No_______
Do you consider that you have met theses learning objectives? Yes_______ No_______
Additional comments: e.g. comments on specific seminars
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FEEDBACK FORMS – SEMINAR LEADER
GENERAL SEMINAR REPORT
Title of Seminar:
Seminar Leader:
Weeks 1 – 8
Student:
Term:
Week 1
16.9.10
Week 2
23.9.10
Week 3
30.9.10
Year Group:
Week 4
7.10.10
Week 5
14.10.10
Week 6
21.10.10
Week 7
28.10.10
Week 8
4.11.10
[Please note: You are required to monitor student attendance. Please fill in form
after each seminar and return it to the IGA office after your last seminar]
General Seminar Report pg 2
General comments on group (participation/discussion level/process etc.)
Any students that particularly stood out to you, and reasons:
Please return this form to the IGA Training Office at Institute of Group Analysis,
1 Daleham Gardens, London NW3 5BY. Tel: 020 7431 2693 Fax: 020 7431 7246
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Qualifying Course/MSc 2010
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Group Supervisor’s Report
Student:
Year:
Attended
___ out of ___
Supervisor:
Please make comments on some or all of the following: a) Relationship of trainee to context (placement and patients), dynamic administration
etc.; b) Presentation of work (note taking, issues, way of presenting to supervision group); c) Ability to use transference, countertransference
and therapeutic process; d) Use of supervision group, including supervisor; e) Conclusion: (strength and weakness, directions and
recommendations for further development; f) Any other comments. Continue overleaf if required.
First/Second training group (please circle)
Date of Report: __________________________ Number of group sessions: ____________
…………………………
Signature of Supervisor
………………………..
Signature of Supervisee
Supervisee’s comments (not mandatory):
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Training Handbook
Qualifying Course/MSc 2010
___________________________________________________________________________________
Individual Supervisor’s Report
Student:
Year:
Attended
_____ out of _____
Supervisor:
Please make comments on some or all of the following: a) Relationship of trainee to context (placement and patients), dynamic administration
etc.; b) Presentation of work (note taking, issues, way of presenting to supervision group); c) Ability to use transference, countertransference
and therapeutic process; d) Use of supervision group, including supervisor; e) Conclusion: (strength and weakness, directions and
recommendations for further development; f) Any other comments
Date of Report: ______________________________
Session number (Patient 1) __________
…………………………
Signature of Supervisor
Session number (Patient 2) __________
………………………..
Signature of Supervisee
Supervisee’s comments (not mandatory):
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Institute of Group Analysis/Birkbeck College
Training Handbook
Qualifying Course/MSc 2010
___________________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX L
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES: BIRKBECK POLICY
1. The College Policy on Mitigating Circumstances determines how boards of examiners will treat
assessment that has been affected by adverse circumstances. Mitigating Circumstances are defined as
unforeseen, unpreventable circumstances that significantly disrupt your performance in assessment.
This should not be confused with long term issues such as medical conditions, for which the College
can make adjustments before assessment (for guidance on how arrangements can be made in these
cases please see the College’s Procedures for Dealing with Special Examination Arrangements).
2. A Mitigating Circumstances claim should be submitted if valid detrimental circumstances result in:
a) the late or non-submission of assessment;
b) non-attendance at examination(s);
c) poor performance in assessment.
3. For a claim to be accepted you must produce independent documentary evidence to show that the
circumstances:
a)
b)
c)
d)
have detrimentally affected your performance or will do so, with respect to 2a, 2b and 2c above;
were unforeseen;
were out of your control and could not have been prevented;
relate directly to the timing of the assessment affected.
4. Documentation should be presented, wherever possible, on the official headed paper of the issuing
body, and should normally include the dates of the period in which the circumstances applied. Copies of
documentary evidence will not normally be accepted. If you need an original document for another
purpose, you should bring the original into the School Office so that a copy can be made by a member
of College staff. (Where a photocopy is made by a member of staff they should indicate on the copy that
they have seen the original).
5. Discussing your claim with a member of staff does not constitute a submission of a claim of
mitigating circumstances.
6. You are encouraged to submit your claim for mitigating circumstances in advance and at the earliest
opportunity. The final deadline for submission of a claim is normally 1 week after the final examination
unless otherwise stated by your Department. Where possible, claims should be submitted using the
standard College Mitigating Circumstances claim form (available from your Department office) which
should be submitted in accordance with the procedure for submission published by your Department.
Claims should always be supported by appropriate documentary evidence.
7. You should be aware that individual marks will almost never be changed in the light of mitigating
circumstances. Assessment is designed to test your achievement rather than your potential; it is not
normally possible to gauge what you would have achieved had mitigating circumstances not arisen.
Where mitigating circumstances are accepted, and it is judged by an examination board that these
circumstances were sufficiently severe to have affected your performance in assessment the usual
response will be to offer you another opportunity for assessment without penalty, at the next available
opportunity.
8. Guidance on what may constitute acceptable mitigating circumstances is available as an appendix to
the policy, available from http://www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/regs or your Department office; you should note
that this is not an exhaustive list, and that each case will be treated on its merits by the relevant subboard or delegated body.
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